Confronting the past
by HarpieKing07
Summary: A backstory to My Green Eyed Mystery. Albus sets out on a journey, in order to help Harry and the others in the future. A journey trough his memories - all the way back to his childhood... all trough the most significant moments of his life.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**This story takes place right before the Chapter 32 of _My Green Eyed Mystery_. In fact, it was made to be IN the chapter. However, as I started to write about Albus' childhood and past, it became too much fun for me and even gave birth to several characters. In the end, I've delved much deeper into it, than I originally intended. So much in fact, that in the end, the pieces and scenes from it seemed unimportant to the plot of _My Green Eyed Mystery_. However, it didn't feel right to leave this part of the story hanging. I thought about it for a few days and luckily, I didn't erase it from my computer. So I thought, that this story should be published separately, as a back-story to _My Green Eyed Mystery_. It's also an AU and bits and pieces of it will later on show in _My Green Eyed Mystery_, as the story will go on. I've also pretty much enjoyed to delve into several things that were only mentioned in the cannon. For instance Grindelwald's reign and the reason, why would have been the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time, if not for Voldemort. Or parts of Albus' childhood, and of course, his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald - I've also changed bits and pieces of it, remaking it to my liking. Also, the incident with Ariana, or the Deathly Hallows, the latter of which especially, since in the _My Green Eyed Mystery,_ the second Hallow is already destroyed and the trio can never be completed again. And I've added some characters, which Albus had come to know during his lifetime and several of them are not even alive anymore during _Harry's _time. There will be a few peeks into the Noble Families' circle of the early century too, so get ready to see a few old relatives of several characters.

Since Grindelwald's fall coincides with the end of World War Two, I want to make it clear, that those two are not directly linked. Though there may be a few similarities, the Wizarding War was different, especially given Grindelwald's ultimate goal.

Though it was originally meant to be a one-shot, the ideas were popping-out and so, it will have several chapters. They will be shorter, than in the _Mystery_though.

I hope that you will like this story too, and that you'll like my version of Albus' history.

**HK07**

...

**Confronting the past**

**Prologue**

The landscape looked particularly unpleasant during winter nights. The freezing chill coming from the sea was making any amount of time spent outside seem like punishment. Overlooking the long, snow-covered fields, there was a tall, towering fort. It was jet-black and seemed to shine in the stormy, snowy December night.

Several hundred meters away from the entrance gate (a giant stone door, which on first sight gave the impression of making the fort impenetrable), a figure appeared out of thin air.

Wrapped in a travelling cloak, his famous long beard flying as the wind blew strongly, Albus Dumbledore looked around his surroundings, still somewhat astounded, that after all these years, he came _here_\- of **all**places.

The idea would never even occur to him a few days ago. He was still surprised by his _own_decision to return here. He was surprised even more, by the odd sense of calm he felt - when he realized, that he would HAVE to come here, he initially thought, that he would be shaking all-over from the very sight of the place.

A blast of icy wind from the sea had indeed made him shake, and he swiftly reached for his wand, performing a speedy, non-verbal Warming Charm on his clothes. As warmth spread all over his clothes, he took a small moment to look at the wand in his hand - the Elder Wand.

His eyes narrowing, as though to reaffirm his resolve, he placed the wand back inside his pocket and started to make his way towards the fort.

He knew that he HAD to do this.

No, he WANTED to do this.

He knew as much, as the _International Conference of Magical Theoreticians_came to an end, half-a-day ago. Though it had not only been about magical theories, this time around.

Thanks to the various changes that were occurring in his country, he was the sole attendant from England this year - it took all the support from the Noble families to get permission for him to travel abroad, courtesy of the new Reinforcement Act.

Many were of course asking endless questions about the current state of things at home - the Repopulation Act, the Reinforcement Act, and the Death Eaters still running around the country and of course, the mysterious Masked Wizard.

He was of course very careful, when answering those questions - the last he, and the opposition needed, was Fudge and his lot becoming even more paranoid, especially if something was to appear in the foreign newspapers.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed the Conference immensely, as always, but also he enjoyed the time with a few new faces there. For instance the Head of Mahoutokoro, who was very eager to finally meet him.

He smiled proudly, as he remembered that this time, the two Heads of the world's magical schools have gotten together, thanks to their respective students.

In fact... it came upon _him_; to smuggle and deliver the large package from the Slytherin Squad, as well as it came upon _Yamishiro-sensei_to deliver one (an equally large one) from his _Seven Stars_in exchange.

He felt an incredible amount of pride, as the elderly Japanese wizard told him, of his Slytherin students' adventure in Japan, prior to their fifth-year at Hogwarts.

He really couldn't blame Harry for not speaking much about it, at least not in complete detail - Lily (and now perhaps Ginny too) would no doubt be **very**furious with him, that the Snakies had placed themselves in so much danger, mostly on accord of their never-ending curiosity.

He wasn't able to suppress a boyish snicker even now - how much it reminded him of Harry's grandfather Charlus, most prominently at this place, during the Nurmengard Trial.

_\- Flashback -_

_His talks with the three judges - one English, one French and one American - finally at an end, he swiftly excused himself and made to the second floor of the fort. As the two guards, shooting him looks of absolute respect, let him in, the first thing he saw were his ex-students - sons of the British Noble families and now, as many others, recognised as heroes of the Allied Wizarding Army._

_Caspar Crouch, Septimus Weasley, Harfang Longbottom and Charlus Potter._

_The atmosphere there was quite pleasant. Though all of them were on guard-duty, the large amount of guards inside the room were happily chatting. It was a scene, he very much liked - it almost made this war good for something._

_The many people there - British, French, Italian, Spanish, and Bulgarian, all of them. All were happily getting along, eagerly chatting - not even a hint of the animosity that had prevailed since the end of the European Wizarding War, which ended more than twenty years ago. The four young nobles too, were happily chatting with one another._

_"By tonight, it will be all over. I'm relieved." breathed Caspar, as he overlooked the second floor of Nurmengard Prison, in the centre of which, behind large conjured tables, and behind a giant cage, sat Gellert Grindelwald's direct supporters - his_Reichsritter _\- enjoying the last meal before their final fate was to be decided._

_"I know what you mean, Cas. After years of fighting, we can finally go home to our families." said Septimus with a bright smile, though the sides of his shoulders looked burnt and his face was dirtied with ashes._

_"You bet. AND we're heroes!" exclaimed Charlus happily, punching the air in happiness._

_At the sound of his words, many_Reichsritter _turned their heads toward him, fixing him looks filled with never-ending hate._

_He could easily guess_why _\- Charlus had been responsible for few of their captures, on top of being a thorn in their sides for the last four years._

_Charlus hadn't even noticed them, while he turned to his best friend and clapped him on the shoulder._

_"And YOU... you'll finally get to see your little, first-born son."_

_Septimus beamed at the lot of them._

_"About time too. The boy will turn four in January. I just hope it'll be all right. I feel bad, about not being able to be there until now." he said, shaking his red-haired head sadly._

_"Don't worry. You'll make up for the lost time." said Harfang gently, placing a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder._

_"Yeah. And besides, what kid wouldn't want a hero for a Dad - that kid will love you, mark my words." Charlus boomed with a large grin, giving his best friend a thumbs-up._

_The entire British side of the guards around the room, as well as Harfang, and even Caspar, weren't able to hide a laugh at Charlus' enthusiasm. Some of the_Reichsritter _didn't even bother to hide their rage - Dragan Belic actually punched the table and looked positively murderous._

_"Don't be too happy about this hero-business, Charlus. As I understand it, we will also have a LOT of explaining to do, regarding our exploits." said Harfang, shuddering a bit - after all, all of their wives were born in the Black family and were not exactly approving of all this._

_Charlus at once fixed him a confused look._

_"What do you mean? It's not like any of the details will ever reach home."_

_Harfang and Septimus quickly held in their laughs, while Caspar slapped his forehead and looked at Charlus in exasperation._

_"The war is OVER! The news of our exploits - in FULL detail mostly - have reached home. The Daily Prophet has already been printing like crazy and the news reached the Noble circle even sooner."_

_Charlus stiffened, while Harfang nodded and Septimus gestured to himself._

_"Why, do you think, I look so burnt? Cedrella already sent me the Howler of a lifetime, for placing myself in so much danger." he said in explanation, shuddering at the very thought of his wife's Howler._

_"_And_... since our exploits have gained so much prestige... especially YOURS -_**_Living Ghost_**_..." said Harfang, using the nickname, Charlus had gained for himself with his exploits._

_Charlus froze in place, colour was instantly draining from his face, as he started to shake. Caspar smirked at him, as he folded his arms._

_"I'm pretty sure, that you will stand your OWN trial, the moment you get home."_

_Charlus suddenly looked, as though he had just received a death penalty._

_"D-D-Dorie... if she knows everything..." he whimpered piteously, no doubt already picturing her infamous predator-smile._

_Septimus placed a hand on HIS shoulder this time._

_"Charlus, my dear friend... I'm afraid, that you are in for a trial, where Dorea will be the judge and jury."_

_"And EXECUTIONER!" moaned Charlus in pure and utter horror, gripping his messy, and now very long brown hair._

_That made the Septimus and Harfang roar in laughter. Even Caspar wasn't able to keep a straight face and HE too wasn't able to help himself, dissolving into a fit of laughter._

_As he was trying to catch his breath, he became aware, that this must be the first time he had truly laughed in a very, very long time. Inside the cage, the _Reichsritter _fixed Charlus looks of sheer hate, save for one - the youngest one, who barely concealed his laugh._

_Gellert Grindelwald's second-in-command - Eisenfaust pounded his fist on the table so hard, that many people outside the cage actually drew their wands and were only half-a-second away from releasing a curse._

_Charlus once again didn't even register it. Instead, he was shaking like crazy, completely terrified at the thought of what his wife will_do _to him, for this long, and dangerous campaign._

_\- End of Flashback -_

Like Charlus and his friends... like James and his friends... now he was watching, and hearing about the third generation of the Potter family and _their_friends.

But this time around, he felt that his position was changing. He was, after all 116 years old. He was very well aware, that he may not have all that much time left.

And with the events going on right now... he had come to a decision.

The time has come.

Soon enough, he will have to pass on his mantle.

In the case of the Chosen One - he saw, that he may have been wrong. That it may have been wrong, to be making plans in his case like this.

Harry and the Slytherin Squad had showed him that.

All his planning wasn't able to prevent Voldemort to return, during the Triwizard Tournament.

He thought for a moment to what Aberforth, in all his bluntness, had always pointed out as his greatest flaw.

"_Your problem is, that you don't believe, that someone could EVER do it better than YOU._"

True, he realized that, especially now.

He saw that throughout these years, he counted on Neville and tired to guide him.

In contrast the Slytherin Squad - Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Angus Lennox and Astoria Greengrass had made it through, in their own way. Playing the cold-hearted Slytherin villains, while doing good and helping-out from the shadows.

It still amazed him.

And, if there was ONE good thing that Fudge's Repopulation Act did - at least in his eyes - it was that it brought the two sides together.

Neville's side - Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Alice Potter, Ginny Weasley, the other Weasleys and an entire group of other Hogwarts students... and Harry's side - the Slytherin Squad, members of the Vigilante Task Force, and the younger Slytherins like Marvolo Flint, Bertram Shafiq, Flora and Hestia Carrow.

The last time he saw a unity like this but in a much smaller way was the time before Voldemort's first fall, when Severus Snape became the Order's spy to save Lily Potter - him and the Marauders agreeing to a truce and establishing their friendship, going so far, that to his amazing surprise, James and Lily had named Severus as Harry's godfather.

The unity following the Repopulation Act had been a signal to him - a signal that the times were changing, and were changing for the better.

When Ginny, Susan and Luna (Luna as the first and the most open-minded) tried to make their arrangements work despite their fiancés being Slytherins, despite all the prejudice, and after a small while truly falling in love with them, he saw something he wished to see for a long time.

Nowadays, it was nothing uncommon to see Ronald Weasley and Draco Malfoy simply talking and joking, even seeing their Quidditch rivalry shortened into terms of mutual respect.

Or Astoria Greengrass with Hermione, Luna, Susan and Hannah, in spirited... um... what is that popular phrase nowadays... _girl-talk_.

Or **_even_**\- something occurring as a result, since the young ones looked up to their older House-mates - Gryffindor and Slytherin students _actually_getting along for a change - or at the very least, trying to.

And quite like with the young ones, they were also able to exercise this over the older ones - their parents. After all, if you see _Arthur Weasley_and _Lucius Malfoy_sit at one table together, you need no other evidence. In fact, he really had to pinch himself, to believe what he was seeing, when he came over to the Potter Cottage, during the last of James' parties.

He now realised that it was time to place his faith in the young ones.

Harry had showed him JUST that, when he, Aberforth and Naja saved his life in the Gaunt Shack, preventing him from placing the cursed Horcruxes - the Resurrection Stone, on his finger. Or when he and Draco had come to inform him that they had to become the new members of the Junior Death Eaters, which were operating in the school in their sixth-year.

But the biggest piece of evidence was shown to him on the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding, following the battle with the Death Eaters that day.

"_I don't care, if you don't like it, Al! I'm telling you, that there is a high chance, that Voldemort is still alive - alive in Neville's scar! AND, with Fudge and Kellen having their way with our country, I say, it is time to_**_unite_**_. There - in my room, sit all of my friends, my family AND my new wife! And I trust each and every one of them! EVEN with my - with the Slytherin Squad's greatest secret!_"

Harry's words had stirred something in him.

The strength, the resolve, the sheer and utter trust in those closest to him...

Save for the first one, he knew that HE didn't have that... and it stirred sheer admiration in the boy.

Even more, he saw that that genuine trust was shared between the others, and that it enabled them to easily get past the Ministry's tricks and control-attempts, not only repairing some of the arrangements of the Repopulation Act, but also gaining more power from themselves - as evidenced by Blaise's act, that resulted the Potter family's reinstation in the Noble Top group, despite Harry being a half-blood.

He now felt, that did not want to guide their hands anymore.

Rather... he wished to help and assist them.

And since, he agreed with Harry's theory about Neville's scar being Voldemort's final Horcrux, he figured _that_might be the best place to start.

THAT was the reason, why he _truly_wanted to attend this year's Conference.

THAT was why he searched for clues, consulting with other learned and renown Magical Theoreticians.

However, there was one problem.

ALL of those who attended the Conference were only theoreticians in the field - possessing only _theoretical_knowledge.

He was well aware, that he needed to ask someone, who had delved deep into the Dark Arts - AND used them.

Someone with incredible passion for them, someone who was a pioneer, and a possible genius of the Darkest Art.

He knew that there was only ONE person - only ONE in the world.

One, who had delved as far as Voldemort.

One, whom he had never wanted to meet again - mostly out of sheer pain he still felt in his heart.

The pain, he had hidden away from the world...

But not _himself_...

He knew himself, all-too well.

He knew that coming here and meeting him again, would stir a world of memories - memories he positively **feared**to relive.

But he knew that he must.

If he was to help, he simply MUST!

He must stand before **him**once more.

He gulped, as he was very close to the giant door. For a small moment, he stopped and almost made a step back.

Quickly closing his eyes, he thought about everyone back home - his closest ones, his dearest friends.

Arthur and Molly, James and Lily, Remus and Nymphadora, Sirius and Amelia, Severus, Minerva, Horace, Filius, Pomona, Poppy, Hagrid, Elphias, Kingsley, and of course his little brother Ab...

All of the others, who are no longer here - Alastor, the McKinnon's, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Charlus and Dorea Potter... his oldest and dearest classmates...

His mother, father... his sweet, little sister...

And finally...

Neville, Harry, Alice, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the Weasley twins, the members of Dumbledore's Army - those who look up to him, Luna, Susan, Angus, Blaise, Draco, cheeky little Torie...

In his mind, he could almost hear something like Fawkes´ song, filling him with courage, prompting him to move forward and face his fear.

"_You're not alone, Al!_" he suddenly remembered Harry saying, back in the Gaunt Shack.

His eyes snapped open.

Well did he remember, what the youngest Potter had said to him, as they looked over the destroyed Resurrection Stone - the first time he had EVER used his childhood name.

"_As long as you have us, you are NEVER alone._"

His face was set, he felt as though all of them were standing here with him, holding his back, as he set out to confront his past - in order to help the future.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out the small cube, that the German _Magie Kanzler_had given him, as they returned to Germany from the Conference, before notifying the Nurmengard guard of his expected arrival.

Placing it into the small opening of the giant gate, the gate slowly started to open.

As the giant door began to slide open, he felt a similar sensation happen inside his mind.

The impenetrable walls he had built around his memories were coming down - much like the same, easy way Ginny had pulled down the walls around Harry's heart.

As the door was opening and showing the entrance into Nurmengard, the first memory had come into being - as clear and accurate, as it would be in the Pensieve.

The memory of the night he had been here the last time - the final night of the Nurmengard Trial.

_\- Flashback -_

_The judges once more called for order._

_The group of_Reichsritter _were sitting on the bench, having heard their sentences. Some looked shrunken, others defiant and furious._

_Each of their countrymen on the other hand - like the French for instance - looked very pleased indeed._

_Many were ashamed and disgusted, that their home-country could EVER produce criminals of this level, and seemed to take it as their personal duty, to see that they pay for each and every crime, they have ever committed._

_Only one was spared from the Death Penalty, and he could see, that Charlus was visibly relieved. He had formed a small friendship with the youngest _Reichsritter _during the war._

_The youngest __Reichsritter__, who was the same age as Charlus, had betrayed his_Meister_, surrendered and helped the Allied Wizarding Army, a few months before the end of the war. More so, he was the only one of the lot, who had assumed responsibility, and wished to make amends for even some of the crimes he had not committed himself. The judges were extremely surprised, when he said, that there is a collective moral blame that he does not wish to shrug off._

_Not a single person in the trial had voiced any kind of protest, when he received 20 years of imprisonment, instead of the Death Penalty._

_He even flashed a thankful smile at Charlus, since it was widely known, that the young Potter had worked very hard to make sure, that his life would be spared._

_"Your Grandmother will be very proud, when I tell her of this, Charlus. I must say... you've inherited her incredible kindness." he said to Charlus proudly, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_Charlus turned to him, giving his usual happy grin._

_"Thanks, Professor."_

_Charlus suddenly paused, as though remembering something, the smile sliding off his face and replaced by a look of sheer terror._

_"But could you please talk with Dorie first? Please? Otherwise... I may not live through MY trial."_

_He really had to suppress the urge to laugh._

_"Of course, dear boy. I will gladly take on the role as your witness for Defence. However, it remains to be seen, whether we can win our case. In the least, I hope to soften your sentence and turn your Death Penalty into a penalty of 2 weeks, sleeping on the couch." he said with humour, and he heard Septimus and Harfang snicker beside him._

_Charlus shook, giving out a small pitiful moan - after all Dorea could be very stubborn in situations on this._

_Just then, the main judge banged on the table again, calling for quiet._

_"The trial with_Die Reichsritter _is now over. NOW... now we come to the MAIN part of this process."_

_The entire courtyard tensed; even HE did, awaiting the inevitable._

_"Bring him in." commanded another of the judges._

_The cell on the side had opened and into the courtyard, flanked by two guards, both of which had their wands raised at their unarmed prisoner, stepped a tall, man. Dressed in deep-blue, stylishly cut robes, he was walking proudly. His thinning, still mostly blonde hair was tied in a ponytail in the back and his famous short goatee visible to all._

_Most of the_Reichsritter _at once stood up and raised their right hands into the air, simulating the gesture of raising their wands._

_"_**_Für den größeren Wohl_**_" they roared, as one, once again seeing the man, they have sworn absolute loyalty to._

_The reaction of the crowd was immediate - Nurmengard almost shook in the wake of the roars of rage, disgust and hate._

_"SILENCE!" roared all three judges._

_"_Der dunkle Meister _-_**_Gellert Grindelwald_**_...you stand here today, for the first time... in the prison you YOURSELF had ordered to be constructed... in order to be judged of crimes, the likes of which have never been HEARD of in Wizarding history!"_

_Gellert narrowed his eyes at the three judges, the moment he sat down on to the chair, that faced them._

_"The sheer quantity of your crimes is one that no court has EVER seen before! The most prominent of which are... conspiracy, the practice of the Dark Arts - in levels_**_unheard_**_of, founding and directing an illegal organization, fabricating war, torture, murder,_**_mass_**_-murder, attempts to overthrow The Statute of Secrecy, the overthrowing of SEVERAL Wizarding Governments, violation AND_destruction _of agreed magical country-boundaries, violation of SEVERAL magical peace-treaties, persecution of Muggles living in half-magical cities and villages, promotion of anti-Muggle views and opinions, AND FINALLY, attempted destruction of an entire city in an act of an ancient Dark Art ritual!"_

_Beside them they heard Harfang Longbottom whistle lowly._

_"Talk about setting a world record in crime."_

_"One, that is not really likely to be surpassed anytime soon." said Caspar Crouch darkly, his eyes narrowed._

_"And those are just the ones we KNOW of." said Septimus Weasley._

_"Yeah." breathed Charlus._

_"Imagine the crimes he must have committed on his rise to power. All for_The Greater Good_, of course."_

_He winced._

_He knew, painfully well, WHO was the first casualty of Gellert Grindelwald's ruthless ambition..._

_"_Ari..._"he thought, his heart once more almost bursting in sheer pain._

_He remembered... in fact... he was still haunted by the events of that fateful night in Godric´s Hollow._

Es tut mir sehr leit, Schatz... aber... Alles für den größeren Wohl!

Ari... Ari... please... hold on... please...

Al... don't... don't go... Al...

ARIANA!...

_The memories of that night have almost turned into physical pain, as they always did, when he thought of them._

_"Professor?" breathed Septimus, noticing the way he was gripping his arms and shaking._

_Charlus, Harfang and even Caspar turned their sights away from the court and looked at him._

_His eyes were locked on Gellert, his lower lip was shaking and before he could help himself, tears were running from his eyes._

_"Professor Dumbledore?"_

THIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU STUPID IDIOT!

_"Professor?"_

My fault... all of it... all my fault.

_"Professor Dumbledore!"_

_He was only dimly aware of where he was anymore..._

_"Albus!" came a strong voice and he felt someone grip his arm._

_The contact brought him back to reality, snapping him from his feelings of guilt. He looked around and saw that all four of the young ones were looking at him in deep concern. He saw Charlus gripping his arm._

_"Albus, it's over now. The nightmare is finally over." he said soothingly._

_"Thanks to you." added Harfang._

_He nodded weakly, turning his sights back down on Gellert. He still couldn't believe that it actually went so far. The entire fort was now quiet._

_Though the judges offered him the chance to say something to his defence, Gellert only sat there with his arms folded._

_The three judges looked at one another and nodded._

_"Very well. In that case, we shall now pass our judgement."_

_The three of them stood up, as did everyone in the courtyard, even the_Reichritter_. Only Gellert remained sitting on his chair, giving all the appearance of not wanting to be any part of what was going on._

_"Gellert Grindelwald. You have been found guilty of each and every crime, the Wizarding Law recognises. While this usually deserves only one thing - Death Penalty, this court recognises that this is a special case. In Wizarding history, there never was a wizard as evil, as foul, as ruthless as YOU! Which is why we have decided, that you deserve a special punishment? Though the world wishes your death, taking your life would be too merciful. Instead, we shall make sure, that you live a long life. A life of imprisonment inside this very fortress. You shall be confined inside the topmost cell of Nurmengard, where you will spend the rest of your life. Know that when your time comes... this world - the world you tried so hard to destroy, will have healed, moved on and forgotten, that there ever was a_Meister_. That there ever was a wizard, called Gellert Grindelwald."_

_With a final bang on the table, Gellert's fate had been decided._

_As the people began to rise up from their chairs, Gellert raised his head and was obviously looking for someone in the crowd - HIM. Their eyes locked and he was launched all the way back to those careless summer days in Godric´s Hollow._

_But this time, as they held their gaze, even while other people were standing up and leaving, he felt a strange sensation. Charlus was right... it was over. It was as though a massive chapter of his life had reached its final words._

_And a new one was to begin..._

_"_I´m sorry, that it had to end this way, Gellert. But it HAD to end._" he thought in his mind, knowing and feeling Gellert's Legilimency powers probe it._

_Before Gellert could reply in any way, he raised his Occlumency walls and repelled him._

_Rising from his chair, he stood up and followed his young friends outside._

_\- End of Flashback -_

Walking slowly trough the entrance hall of the fort, he noticed that though it was well-kept, nothing had changed here in 53 years.

He could easily find his way around.

He approached the nearby benches and sat down. The _Kanzler_had told him to wait for the guard to escort him to the topmost cell.

He wondered a bit...

How long would he have to wait? The place was not exactly comforting and even, in this silence... _depressing_.

He could already feel another memory rise up, clawing to the surface.

With a long side, he let it... didn't fight it.

It was time to face his past.

Closing his eyes, he let the memory consume him, sending him back... all the way back, to a time when everything began.

...


	2. Summer s End and a new friend

**_Chapter One: Summer's End and a new friend_**

**_Godric's Hollow, Summer 1894_**

"... and don't forget - come straight home, and..."

"If anyone asks - we are all fine..." he cited the words, their Mother always instructed them to say, whenever they were to exit the house.

"... and if anyone asks about Ari - tell them to mind their own business." said Aberforth, looking very fierce for a ten-year-old.

Their Mum nodded just as fiercely.

"Right you are. Off you go now..."

Before they could even turn around to the door, a small blonde-haired nine-year-old girl ran towards them.

He was almost caught off guard by the fierce hug that his little sister caught him in.

He saw his Mother's look soften incredibly, as Ariana squeezed him tight - as if she was afraid, that if she let him go, he would be gone forever.

"You... come back... right, Al?" she stuttered, which he knew, was about the only thing she _could _do, since her... **_incident_**.

He couldn't help, but hug her back just as tightly, stroking her long hair gently.

"Of course, Ari... I'll be right back. I promise." he said kindly, trying to reassure his sister as best he could.

"You... play...?" she asked, once more asking for something, she asked on a daily basis since he came back home.

"Of course, Ari. I will play with you, as soon as I return." he promised, already knowing, that he would be very likely to regret this.

However his Mother's smile told him, that it was the right thing to do.

More so, the sunny, happy, overjoyed smile Ariana gave him spoke in volumes.

"I love you, Al..." she said with such sincerity that he was barely able to respond.

Instead he gripped her tightly, rivalling the hug she gave him.

"I love you too, little one." he breathed, betraying a few tears.

"All right, you two - enough. Ari, Albus and Aberforth have to go and get me the things I need. Let go of your brother." she said kindly, placing a gentle hand on little Ariana's shoulder.

Though letting him go, Ariana made a small sound of protest, as Aberforth opened the door and the pair of them turned to leave, making it extremely plain that she wanted to go with them.

"**_No, dear_**..." he heard his Mother tell her warningly, but her voice still held a gentle note.

"Stay **_here_**\- **I **will play with you in the meantime. Albus, Aberforth - _go_..."

Without turning back, he stepped outside into the warm, summer day, feeling completely miserable.

Walking silently alongside his brother, they passed their Mother's garden, which held not only common fruits and vegetables, but also several Wizarding plants. The plants, which she trades with Bathilda Bagshot - the only neighbour in the entire village she was on speaking-terms with - and which provide them a small, but very helpful income.

Since she is virtually bound to their House, having to take care of both Ariana and Aberforth, working a job that could provide them with a decent amount of income was _absolutely _out of the question.

Instead, she closed herself down in their house, resolved to care for her children and somehow manage with the small amount of gold their Father left them before he was taken to Azkaban.

He tried for who knows how many times to figure out, how to help... how to... _somehow_...make it all right again.

But unfortunately... he had so far, always failed to do so.

Adriana's state of mind seemed to be irreversible, and while it remained so, she had to be kept out of sight. If not, she would be forever confined to a locked ward at St Mungo's.

And as for their Father... he simply could not find any way to have him freed from Azkaban - no matter how much he read in the Magical Laws. Even with the friends he had gained at school - several of them being the children of the Noble Wizarding families - there was simply no way to overcome the strict laws. If only his Father hadn't used the Cruciatus Curse on the Muggle boys who attacked Ariana..., there would have been some hope...

"Al! Stop daydreaming, will you?" growled Aberforth, bringing him back to reality.

He blinked several times. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice that they had already reached the main street of the village.

Aberforth fixed him a stern look that could rival their Mother's.

"Read Mother's list, and come on - we have work to do." he said, rolling his eyes.

As much as he didn't like to, he had to agree - they needed to get the shopping done.

Reading out the list, he couldn't help but grin. She divided the list systematically, making sure that they could easily pick-up everything they needed as they went.

"_I'm not sure about the Magical school in _her _home-country... but at Hogwarts, she would have been a Ravenclaw._" he thought fondly.

He remembered that since he was younger (before he even started to attend Hogwarts) his Mother was always the only one at home, who could keep up with him, even when his Father was lost.

"_Just like his Mum, this one - too smart for his own good._" he used to say in an exasperated voice, always making Mother laugh.

Aided by the list, he and his little brother were able to manoeuvre along the street, buying what they needed, placing it into the bags that they had strapped on their shoulders.

He felt much more... _alive_, now that he was back among people. He exchanged several polite greetings with some of the neighbours, he recognised - magic and Muggle alike - and he could tell, that even Ab was feeling a bit more joyful, looking his age for a change.

Soon enough, they decided to take a small break by the nearby trees.

Scanning the letter again, he double-checked the amount of money the coin-pouch, Mother had given him. Realising, that they had a small amount more, than there was on the list, he at once understood his Mother's intentions.

With a happy grin, he jumped to his feet; left his bag by the tree along with his confused little brother, and ran forward, towards a well-known little shop.

In less than a minute, he was back, grinning happily and carrying two small bags of sweets.

He saw Ab's confused look transform into one of sheer, childish joy, before he handed him one of the little bags. The pair of them sat by the tree, simply eating their sweets, cooling down in the shade the tree was providing.

"You know... Ari is not the only one, who misses you, when you're at school..." said Ab quietly after a while.

He couldn't help but smile at him.

"I know, Ab. I..."

"I've read the report, your teachers sent home." he cut him off, surprising him completely.

"The _Genius Gryffindor_, eh?" Ab asked slyly, his voice betraying a tiny note of pride.

He suddenly found himself blushing.

"Well... they call me that, yes." he answered sheepishly, scratching his shoulder-long auburn hair.

Ab fixed him a small look, but it was somewhat softer than the ones he usually gave him.

"You _could _talk about it sometimes, you know... I may not show it much, but I _am _curious about how you are doing there sometimes."

Completely surprised, not to mention touched, he found himself unable to look away from his brother's curious stare.

"_How _is it at Hogwarts?"

He didn't even have to think hard about the answer - he had only attended two years there, but he could already tell that the Castle was a place which he loved. And Aberforth rarely even asked about Hogwarts, ever since their Father was arrested. Up until that time, they grew up hearing many stories of their Father's beloved school.

"Are the Slytherins as scummy, as Dad always said?"

He snickered at the question, seeing that Ab was wearing a strange look - as if he was waiting to be pointed towards a mortal enemy. It was little surprise though - their Father had been a proud Gryffindor.

"Not really, Ab. Some of them certainly aren't very nice... but that doesn't mean that all of them are the same."

He almost laughed at the look Ab gave him - it was plain to see, that the explanation did not suffice at all. However, he shrugged it off quickly and launched another question.

"What about the teachers? Are they great? Are they strict? Are they...?"

"They are _incredible_, Ab. _Especially _Professor Rutherford. She is the Head of Gryffindor House, and she is simply **amazing**. Tough, strict, but also very fair, funny and friendly. She's Muggle-born, you see, but she has respect from everyone at the school. Even the Headmaster - Professor Black, had acknowledged her... well... begrudgingly, but he did. She is also very talented and is one of the world's leading masters of Transfiguration."

He heard Ab snicker like crazy.

"Your most favourite subject, I hear... _little Bumblebee_..."

He snapped his head towards his brother, going very red in the face. Ab fixed him a mischievous look.

"I've _also _read your birthday cards - no matter how hard you tried to hide them. _To my one and only little genius-student_..."

"**Aberforth!**" he exclaimed, his face bright red, as his little brother snickered again.

He grabbed him in a headlock, but Aberforth wrestled out of it and playfully counterattacked, resulting in a small, brotherly mock-fight.

A girly giggle from somewhere nearby made the pair of them stops.

Not far from them stood a girl his age. She was stylishly dressed, had a pleasant, smiling face, shoulder-length brown hair, and very warm, brown eyes.

"Licie..." he breathed, recognising Alicia Abbott - one of their village neighbours, a member of a pure-blood Noble family, and his Hufflepuff classmate at school.

Letting go of his brother immediately, he blushed once again, not sure how to explain himself. Alicia could easily guess as much.

"Not a word, Albus - its nice to see you act like a child once in a while. Hello, Aberforth." she said, also greeting his brother very politely.

So politely in fact, that Aberforth couldn't help but return it, despite how defensive he always was towards those he did not know well.

However, he couldn't help but notice Ab's scowl at him, when he invited Alicia to sit down between them and engaged in a happy talk with her about her summer.

Alicia reported several small things, in a bright, but humble manner. But for the most part, she seemed to be brightly interested in HIS summer.

He saw Aberforth press his lips - no doubt taking this as prying - but _he_found himself responding automatically, but inwardly regretting that he was lying.

"_When did I become such a good liar?_" he found himself asking in horror, as he saw that his friend was eating the conjured-up story completely.

"LICIE! Come ON! Mum's waiting!" came an impatient call from a small, mousy-haired, nine-year-old boy nearby.

"Coming, Albert!" called Alicia, getting up from the ground.

"Well... the Hollow's Festival is on next week. I do hope you'll join us for _that_, Al. You are of course welcome to come too, Aberforth." she said, giving his little brother a kind smile, before turning away.

The pair of them waved her back and watched her run towards her family - a father, mother and a little brother that embraced her happily as soon as she reached them.

The sick, miserable feeling of despair he felt, when he exited their house today returned... and returned even stronger than ever before.

He could tell by the way his little brother was growling that the very same thing was bothering HIM too.

"Come on, Ab. Its time we buy the last item and go home." he said, trying to divert his attention elsewhere, slightly afraid that he might do something unwise in the wake of his temper.

"Right." he grumbled, and proving him wrong, he stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder as though nothing had happened.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, he moved along a familiar road - one, he walked quite frequently in his village. Not far from where they were buying the final item on the list, was a small, but cosy-looking cottage where Bathilda Bagshot lived.

Funny enough, it was his first-year work, that somehow bridged his Mum with Bathilda and enabled her to have one, genuine friend in Godric's Hollow.

Since that time, Bathilda was their friend, a frequent guest-house at their home, and trusted enough to be let in on the Dumbledore family's greatest secret - Ariana.

Ari seemed to really like her, and even Aberforth was going out of his way to be as polite as possible to her. As for him, Bathilda seemed to understand him - his talents and thirst for knowledge.

He couldn't help, but glance at her house, suddenly wishing that he could drop-in for a visit... just to consult her on his new Charms project...

"You're daydreaming again! Come ON! Let's go home...!" grumbled Aberforth, this time sounding not stern, but thoroughly unpleasant - as he always does, when he is upset about something.

Nodding, he turned his sight from Bathilda's Cottage and followed his brother.

As they strolled towards the forest, a carriage was heading towards them.

Grabbing his brother's arm, he moved to the side of the road with him, ignoring Ab's mild-glare, while he wrestled his arm from his grip.

He caught sight of a golden-blonde haired boy, who was sitting inside the carriage. He was looking the opposite way, seemingly lost in thought, but his face was clearly visible. He looked about his age, but he did not remember ever seeing him here before.

Inexplicably... he was unable to look away for a small moment, while the carriage passed them by - it was as though something was extremely curious about this boy.

His eyes continued to track the carriage, as it resumed its way towards the village. He suddenly felt a hard pull on his left arm.

"Oh, what's _wrong _with you today?! Come ON!" grumbled Aberforth imperiously.

"Nothing." he answered quickly, as he resumed his pace.

But as they walked back towards their home, he couldn't help but wonder, what WAS wrong with him, as the carriage passed by.

...

His Mother, he realised, was one of the few people in the world, who could completely confuse him sometimes...

For instance, he was absolutely confused by the fact, that she _actually _allowed him to attend the Hallows festival yesterday - by himself, since Aberforth refused to go.

Or... by the way she explained it to Ariana - his little sister was not even afraid, that he might not return...or something similar.

Or by the fact, that she did not even fuss, when he came back later than expected.

OR by the way she asked him during breakfast, how the festival was and if he enjoyed himself - instead of inquiring, what people asked and what he answered.

While he was trying to somehow figure out, what caused this special... _treatment_, Bathilda's owl arrived.

After reading the letter and apparently thinking about it for a moment or two, she tasked him, to deliver some plants and a few other smaller objects to Bathilda's Cottage.

THAT seemed like something ordinary for a change... until...

"_You can also take that _secret _Charms project of yours down with you. I don't mind you working on it today. Just be sure to come home before Dinner._" she informed him, with a very kind smile.

NOW he was completely and utterly lost.

What caused his Mother to afford him such leisure? Was it because the summer was coming to an end? That could not be it...

Or because of the award his work had won in Transfiguration Today (the letter came in three days ago)? That didn't seem right either - she seemed to be proud of him, when she read the teachers´ report though... but not _that_much...

Could it have something to do with Bathilda? That seemed to be the most probable answer. Now the question was - _what_?

Well... he could not say he minded.

He was very much pleased to work and learn new things along the way. Though... it was always with witches and wizards that were older than him. He sometimes hated to admit it, but he longed for a friend, who was on his level... skill-wise, as well as in terms of thinking.

"Albus. Welcome, welcome..."greeted Bathilda Bagshot, opening the door of her Cottage, the moment he knocked on it.

He at once noticed, that Bathilda also looked a little strange - she seemed... happy about something.

She joyfully fretted about the plants he brought in, but he was instantly under the impression, that it was NOT the reason she was so happy.

"... and I heard from your Mum, that you are working on a Charms project right now."

He barely had the time to nod, before she flashed him a hopeful look.

"I have someone here, whom I bet you would like to meet." she said with a ghost of a grin, before turning her head towards the stairs, leading to the upstairs rooms.

"_Gellert... komm heir, bitte. Ich habe ein freund fur dir._" she called happily.

His eyes widened at the sound of the strange, unknown language - he never imagined Bathilda speaking one...

"_Ein freund, sachst du?_" came the reply.

The very voice speaking it seemed pleasant to him - sounding so young... so nice...

As soon as it sounded, he heard steps coming from the stairs.

His eyes widened, as the person who answered slowly came down.

It was HIM.

The boy, he saw in the carriage...

His curly, shoulder-length golden-blonde hair danced as he stepped down the stairs.

In an instant the young boy fixed him a curious look, locking him with his bright blue eyes.

"This is my new house-guest, Albus. He's my grand-nephew... and quite the young, brilliant mind - such as yourself." said Bathilda happily.

However... he was paying only the slight bit of attention. He was - unable to help himself - viewing this boy...

The strange feeling he had, when he saw this boy in the carriage was back. But it seemed as though it had been magnified by the sheer fact, that he was seeing him up-close.

Suddenly, he found himself feeling... hot...

The boy shot a curious look at Bathilda, who nodded heartily.

As soon as his blue eyes locked with his, he could feel himself growing redder in the face... and he didn't even have an idea WHY!

"Gellert will be staying here for the holidays from now on. At least until he finishes his education at Durmstrang. While he is here though, I would love for him to have the company of someone his age."

Bathilda's explanation caused Gellert to shift his view from him to her. There was already a small frown on his face.

"_Ich spiele nicht, Tante._"

He suppressed a small frown, feeling a bit sad, that he did not understand what he said.

Bathilda raised her eyebrows, a mischievous look coming to her face.

"If that is so, Gellert dear, how about you help me and Albus?"

Gellert's eyebrow shot up in confusion.

"Help?" he repeated in English, and sounding bewildered.

"Yes, dear. You see, Albus has come to work with me on his new Charms project."

A look of utter curiosity came over Gellert's face. He instantly flashed the look on him, measuring him up and down.

He stepped closer, offering his hand in a handshake.

"I´m pleased to meet you. I am Gellert. Gellert Grindelwald."

"_Why...?_" he found himself thinking, as he was trying to reply to the gesture.

"_Why in the name of the brave Godric Gryffindor am I blushing?!_"

As Bathilda smiled brightly, he shook his hand with Gellert's.

"Likewise. I am Albus. Albus Dumbledore."

...

**A/N:** Well... the first chapter is done. I want to apologise a bit for my German - since its not my native language, and I definitely don't know it as much as English, there may be more than a few mistakes. Especially since I´m forced to use a translator, and God knows, they aren't perfect. I will try to do something about it in the meantime, and I hope you guys will be looking forward to the next chapter. Till then...

**HK07**


	3. Father s shadow

_**Chapter Two: Father's shadow**_

_**Hogwarts, September 1894**_

_Gellert_

_Thank you ever so much for your help._

_The project was a great success... You should have seen Professor Max's (my Charms Professor) face, when I presented it to him. He is a very... shall we say, spirited person, and he was positively beside himself at seeing it. He promised to get in touch with some of his friends and enter it into the Challenges in Charming. _

_I feel kind of bad for getting all the praise, when I clearly did not do the achievement by myself. Should I come clean about not working on it on my own? I do not wish to take all the praise - you should be credited as well..._

_Other than that, it had been a pretty calm first week back at Hogwarts. Well... unless you count the Slytherin group's little victory. Sirius Black - the Headmaster's son - had been appointed Head Boy, along with another seventh-year Slytherin, Hesper Gamp. My roommates (those who are part of the Noble families) are highly displeased about this, but I think that they are __exaggerating__..._

_How are things at Drumstrang? I do hope, that you will brighten up and make some friends in your second year... _  
_You never quite told me your reasons, and Bathilda only said that I should hear them from _you_. Maybe one day... if you deem me trusty enough - you will tell me your secret..._

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Albus_

With a smile, he finished his letter and placed it neatly inside the envelope.

"Albus? You're up already?" came a voice from behind him.

Turning around from behind his desk, he flashed a smile at the mousy-haired boy who was sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, he is - being the only other _sensible _person in this room, Elphias." came a gruff voice from the other side of the room.

Elphias Dodge - his best friend since the very first night here at Hogwarts - sat up straighter and fixed a frown on the speaker.

The well-built, but still short boy with black hair was still in his pyjamas, and was currently doing something muggles call "_push-ups_".

"Most would consider your morning rituals to be the _opposite _of being sensible, Alsidair."said Elphias with a grin.

Alisdair Moody, fixed him a glare. Being a member of the famous Auror family, Alisdair was a firm believer in his family's "_constant vigilance_" motto, and had always seen physical exercise as something to keep oneself so.

"Very funny, Elphias. But we´ll see who's laughing during the first lesson."

"Oh no... _Defence against the Dark Arts_..." moaned another voice from the nearby bed.

He couldn't help but grin at the chubby boy with dirty-blond hair, who was sitting up at his bed, looking uncomfortable. It was no secret, that since their very first year, Aristotle Kellen had not exactly been best friends with the subject.

Alisdair raised himself from the floor, folded his arms and nodded.

"And you can bet, that my uncle will give us a nice little warm-up. He mentioned something about teaching us to tackle Dark Creatures this year."

Aristotle looked terrified.

"D-Dark creatures...?"

Alisdair rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Damn it, Aristotle! Are you a Gryffindor or not?!"

Aristotle frowned sadly, looking at his hands rather than Alisdair´s face. Elphias jumped out of his bed and faced Alisdair, folding his arms.

"Stop it! Of COURSE he is a Gryffindor! He is just a bit scared, that's all."

All of them knew of Aristotle´s low self-confidence and even if the are friends, Alisdair can sometimes be a bit demanding.

"Gryffindors are _supposed _to be fearless!" countered Alisdair.

"Nonsense - everyone is afraid of _something_." he said, as he rose from his chair, stepping between Alisdair and Elphias.  
Being the tallest of the three, he usually was the one to step in between the pair of them when they had their arguments.

He then turned to Aristotle, and gave him a supportive smile.

"Being brave means facing one's fears. I'm sure that when the time comes to face yours, Aristotle... you will be surprised at how brave you can be."

His statement made Aristotle smile and nod.

Alisdair breathed a sigh and shook his head, not being able to argue the case.

"Well... we should probably get dressed and head down to breakfast." suggested Elphias, his stomach growling already.

"Good idea, Elphias." said Alisdair unexpectedly.

He, along with Aristotle and Elphias looked surprised for a bit, until they saw that Alisdair was walking towards one of the beds, where the only thing visible was a large bulge of blankets. They exchanged grins as Alisdair shook the bulge and heared a muffled reply.

"... don't want to..."

"Get up!" growled Alisdair back.

"... later..."

"Get up!"

"... tommorow..."

"Get UP!" roared Alisdair siezing the blankets and yanking them with all the force he could muster.

A boy, tiny with a mop of brown untidy hair was rolled out of the blankets and fell to floor with a thud. Elphias and Aristotle laughed, and even he couldn't help himself as they all saw Jonathan Potter rise from the floor, immediately glaring Alisdair.

"What did you do that for?!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"We´re going for breakfast and the lessons will begin soon!" explained Alisdair.

"I wanted to sleep-in a bit!"

"Do you want to start lessons on an empty stomach?!"

"And so these two go off again..." muttered Elphias, shaking his head and heading for his trunk, as Alisdair and Jonathan continued to bicker and were unlikely to stop for a while.

Funnily enough... thistime he did not mind much. He double-checked the time and since he was the only one in the room already fully-dressed...

"Where are you going Albus?" asked Aristotle, seeing that he was moving to the door.

"I will join you at breakfast. I want to send this, right away..." he answered, showing the envelope in his hand.

Aristotle nodded, seeing nothing out of the ordinary and unknowing that this letter was much different from the usual ones. With a nod at Elphias and a last look (and a chuckle) at the bickering of Alisdair and Jonathan, he exited their dormitory.

He really wanted to send this letter right away... what's more, he was looking forward to today's lessons. New things to learn, new House Points to win... new challenges to face...

Little did he know... that the day would offer an unexpected challenge...

...

_"ALBUS..."_

"...no..."

"_YOU FAILED, ALBUS...!"_

"...no..."

_"YOU COULD HAVE HELPED... AND _YOU **FAILED!**_"_

"...no..."

_"YOU LET ME _**DIE!**_"_

"**NOOOOO!**" he roared, shooting upright in the bed.

"ALBUS!" came several voices at once.

Before he could look properly, who was around him, or where he even was for that matter, a pair of gentle hands seized his shoulders and pushed him back against the covers.

"Shhh... its'all right... calm down, lad... calm down..." said a low, soothing, woman's voice.

Slowly gaining control of his breathing, the blur he saw a moment ago seemed to be coming into focus. Instantly he recognised the face of Madam Abbott - the school's matron.

Which meant that he was...

"Why am I in the Hospital Wing...?" he muttered, looking around while he was still held by the shoulders to the bed.

"You don't remember, mate?" came Jonathan's voice from his left side.

Looking at him, he saw that Jonathan was very concerned, while Aristotle who was standing behind looked once more terrified.

He racked his brains for an answer, but... everything seemed so blurry...

Suddenly it all came back - the Defence against the Dark Arts class... Professor Moody teaching them about Boggarts and...

"You fainted when the Boggart transformed into your Dad. It said something about you failing him and letting him die..."

"JONATHAN CORVINUS POTTER!" exclaimed Madam Abbott, at once grabbing him by the ear.

He knew, that Madam Abbott was an old school-friend of Jonathan's Dad, and that the Noble Head positively encouraged her to discipline her son, when he deserves it.

"Ouch! Well it did...! " he yelped.

"Don't you realize, what your friend had suffered?!" she scolded, as Jonathan yelped again.

"N- yes...! I'm sorry, Albus... I didn't mean to..."

"Tsk, tsk... Madam Abbott is quite correct, I think... five points from Gryffindor, Potter. For severe lack of empathy." came a smug voice from behind.

Madam Abbott goaned, releasing Jonathan and looked to the Hospital Wing's door, where a familiar Slytherin seventh-year was standing, tapping his Head Boy's badge.  
Aristotle and Elphias looked uncomfortable, but Alisdair instantly shot him a glare.

"What do you want here, Black?!" growled Jonathan, while still holding onto his throbbing ear.

Sirius Black - the Headmaster's son - quirked an eyebrow, a sly smile appearing on his face, as he surveyed the scene. His eyes fell on HIM, as he was still lying in bed.

"I have heared the rumors in the corridors, so as Head Boy, naturally I've come to inspect. I wished to make sure, that nothing serious had happened to our... ah, _Genius-Gryffindor_."

It was very plain, that even Madam Abbott did not believe that. Jonathan was about to say something, when Alisdair caught him just in time, slapping his hand onto his mouth.

"Be quiet." growled Alisdair under his breath, trying not to show anything to his enemy.

"Admirable, Sirius. But I can assure you, that young Mr Dumbledore is quite allright. If something IS wrong, I shall consult his Head of House - I do not need your assistance."

Sirius Black smirked.

"Ah... yes." he said, unrolling his sleeve and looking at a marvelous golden watch.

"But I also need to inform those, who are not patients, that the next lesson is due to begin in five minutes. And while Dumbledore is excused, THEY are most certainly NOT - so out of the Hospital Wing, you four... NOW!"

Alisdair, Elphias and Jonathan growled, and even Aristotle looked rebelious.

"Do as he says, boys. He is right, you wouldn't want to get into trouble. Don't worry, Albus is well-attended." said Madam Abbott quietly, as not to let the Head Boy know.

"We´ll come to visit after classes, Albus." said Elphias at once, grabbing his school things.

"Count on it, mate." nodded Jonathan.

Having no other choice, the four young Gryffindors moved to the door, walking past a smirking Head Boy, who exited soon after.

"They were right about him..." he muttered, thinking about their conversation on the Hogwarts Express and already sure that his fainting in class would be the subject of talks in the Slytherin Common Room for tonight.

"Never mind that for now - you still need to rest." said Madam Abbott gently.

He at once felt himself going red. It was one thing, that he fainted in class - an embaressment in itself - but another was everyone making such a fuss about it.

"I am fine. I..."

"Albus! You may not feel it, but believe me, you need to rest. Sleep some more, dear... it will help." said Madam Abbott in a most gentle of voices.

Still red in the face, he nodded, but was not so sure about sleeping... especially with the nightmare that woke him up into an even bigger one.

"Here... take some."

He looked at Madam Abbott, who was holding a vial filled with a Potion he had never seen before.

"Dreamless Sleep Potion - it will help you relax and sleep without worries."

Nodding, he took the vial from her and drank a few gulps. Instantly he could feel himself going drowzy, the urge to sleep becoming more and more irresistable.

Not even finishing his vial, he set it onto the bedside table and as his head hit the pillow, he felt into a calm, pleasurable sleep.

...

The following week was not good at all...

The closest thing he could compare it were the first months of his first year, when everybody thought him to be the son of a convicted muggle-hater.

Once more he was attracting uncomfortable stares and muttering on the corridors, in the Great Hall... and sometimes even in the classroom.

It now seemed, as though everything he had worked so hard on for the past three years was gone - it seemed as though the shadow of his father´s crime was once more upon him, inviting the nasty feeling of shame.

Students were either asking him about it, expressing their pity for him, or (in the case of several Slytherins) making fun of him.

Worse still, the nightmares continued, forcing him to take Dreamless Sleep Potion every night (under heavy orders from both Madam Abbott AND Professor Rutherford)... and he was growing sick of that...

Elphias, Jonathan, Alisdair, Aristotle and Licie stood by him staunchly, and while he truly appretiated it, he could not help but feel miserable...

The only thing that kept his spirits up during the week was his ussual correspondence.

But only ONE in particural caused him to smile for the first time in a week.

_Albus_

_I am pleased that the project was a sucess._

_Interesting teacher, that Professor of yours. I have of course heard all about Hogwarts from Aunt Bathilda and well... it is different. The teachers here at Drumstrang a bit more strict... well MORE than a bit more! _

_But anyway, its nice to know that you have such confidence of your teachers and that he is submitting the project into such a prestigeous journal._

_And NO, Albus... The project was mainly YOUR work. I only helped you here and there... Although... I would like you to teach me how to perform that Charm... it really seemed like an outstanding one, and I am most eager to learn._

_Like Hogwarts, we have an option to remain in school or leave home for Christmas..._

_I CAN write to Aunt Bathilda and ask to spend the holidays at Godric´s Hollow... in fact, I think that she will prefer it that way... _  
_I hope that we can meet at Christmas..._

_How are things...? Well... it had been a lively week back here. The Masters have been giving us revisions and many of my classmates are failing already. _

_Well... I can take it under advisement, but I cannot make promises. You see... here at Drumstrang, __**prestige **__is what determines your place. And to say the least, I had arrived to the school with a most unwanted position of "_prestige_". It has reflected on my likability and in a sense made me into an outcast of sorts. I assure you, that I shall try my hardest to gain myself prestige this year..._

_My secret... well... it is a delicate matter, so if you do not mind, I shall keep it to myself for now. Someday... maybe... I cannot promise it, but it IS a possibility..._

_Keep in touch..._

_Gellert_

He read and re-read the letter a few times, as he sat by a tree outside of school, simply enjoying the sunlight. He had no idea, why this simple little letter somehow made him a whole lot better.

"What's that, Al? " came a sweet voice he knew so well now.

Almost out of instinct he folded the letter, but raised his head towards Licie Abbott, who stood there smiling at him.

"Just a little correspondence, Licie. That's all"

Licie's warm smile only doubled, as she sat down next to him.

"I'm not so sure... I saw the look on your face, when it arrived during the lesson."

True... the letter arrived halfway during their Herbology lesson - a lesson Gryffindors shared with Hufflepuffs. He hid it away quickly, before Alisdair could get his hands on it and subject it to his usual inspection for jinxes and curses.

"Who is it from, Al? A new correnspondent... or by chance... a _secret admirer_?" asked Licie, her expression turning sly.

He couldn't help but laugh, for truly the first time this week.

"No, Licie. If you must know, its a letter from my pen-friend."

Licie smiled radiantly.

"I´m happy for you, Al. Its nice to have a pen-friend. Its also nice to know, that you are also writing with someone about other things than schoolwork."

He smiled and flashed a look at the letter, before looking into her bright brown eyes.

"Well... it IS a bit of schoolwork, but..." he started, but a loud voice sounded far behind them.

"OYE, DUMBLEDORE!"

Before they could even turn to look, the pair of them were surrounded by Slytherin students, led by Radolphus Lestrange. In an instant he heared a number of laughs, jeers and taunts coming from all around.

"What´s that letter Dumbledore? Prison letters from _Daddy?!_"

The Slytherins laughed tauntingly, allowing their leader to come ahead.

"Leave him ALONE, Lestrange!" exclaimed Licie, at once standing up.

Their Slytherin classmate only laughed.

"What´s this? Hiding behind a girls' skirt?"

Licie flashed an angry look at the lot of them.

"Silence! Albus has done nothing to you! Get out of here and leave us alone!"

The Slytherins only laughed.

"Why stand behind this half-blood criminal filth, Abbott?" asked one of them.

"Yes! Mister _Genius Gryffindor _will just turn out like his father!"

THAT stung him! He had had ENOUGH! Anger, the likes of which he had never even known boiled in him suddenly like fire. He shot up from the ground and before he even knew what he was doing, his hand went for his wand.

"AL, STOP!" exclaimed Licie, jumping to her feet as well.

Several Slytherins - with Lestrange in the lead - went for their wands, but he reacted at once.

"_**Expelliarmus**_"

His Disarming Charm was so strong, that all of their wands flew from their hands, falling helplessly to the ground.

"I shall say this only once - I am NOT my father! You do not know a THING about his crime, OR the reason for it! And I will NOT tolerate ANY discussions on the subject!" he said angrily, his wand still on his foes and still on a half-mind to strike them all with a curse.

"Albus, enough!" exclaimed Licie, grabbing his wand arm, trying to force it down.

"_**DUMBLEDORE!**_" roared a voice in a distance - a woman's voice, as sharp as a whip.

They all turned to see a tall woman with long black hair approach them, her hair positively flying as she was hurrying towards them with a severe expression on her face. Coming to a halt between them, she eyed the wands on the ground as well as the his own.

"WHAT is the meaning of this?!" she asked in a powerful voice, that demanded compliance.

"Its not Albus' fault, Professor Rutherford. Lestrange and the others taunted him and..." said Licie at once, wishing to explain, but as always Professor Rutherford had already made clear of what this was about.

"And he resorted to his wand." she finished, flashing him a most stern look, making him go red with shame.

The Slytherins flashed each other a smirk.

"He should be punished, Professor! All we did was have a bit of a laugh and he..."

"_Silence_, Lestrange." snapped Professor Rutherford at once.

"But, Professor... he attacked us..." started another Slytherin.

"I _said _SILENCE, Nott!"

The Slytherins fell silent at once.

She eyed the lot of them up and down.

"What spell did he use? "she asked.

"But Professor..."

"WHAT spell?!"

"The Disarming Charm." he admitted, before any of the Slytherins could.

She raised an eyebrow, once more looking at the wands on the ground.

"Disarming Charm? Well... Professor Moody taught you that one quite well."

The Slytherins' jaws fell, the looks of angry disbelief already forming on their faces.

"Nevertheless, as you full-well know, Albus... fighting is strictly prohibited. You would do well to control your temper. Ten points from Gryffindor."

This time it was HIM, who had a look of disbelief on his face. The Slytherins once again smirked at eachother, triumph evident on their faces. Until Professor Rutherford turned her sights on them...

"As for the lot of you, its quite clear to me WHO provoked this and with WHAT. Five points from Slytherin - for each of you."

That made that insufferable look on their faces vanish.

"But Professor..." exclaimed Nott.

"Silence! Given that not much has happened, I am still being generous. Now _leave_, before I start giving out detentions!"

The Slytherins looked like they wanted to say more, but decided to leave it at that. Afterall, even those from the Noble families HAD to obey their teachers at Hogwarts - Professor Black _himself _insisted on it.

With an angry look at him and Licie, they all turned and started to walk back to the castle. Once they were out of earshot, Professor Rutherford directed another stern look at him, making him go red again.

"As for you, Albus... while I am aware of your situation, I must warn you - I have gone easy on you this time. The other Professors are unlikely to be so lenient, and you can rest assured that if I see you fighting again, I will not be lenient either. Now, I believe that you should return to the castle as well." she said, before she turned on her heel and walked away, in the direction of the gamekeeper's cabin.

He sighed as he watched her walk away, his face still red with a combination of shame and anger.

"She is right, Al. I know its unfair, but..." started Licie, but some of that anger got the better of him.

"ALL of it is unfair! All of it! Just like Father's crime and imprisonment! None of them have the right to make fun, or judge him... OR me!"

He was shaking with anger, but tried not to notice the strange look that came over Licie's face - as if she had just understood something.

"Well... endure it for a while, Al. You know how it gets - it will be the subject of gossip for a week and then it'll die down as if nothing had happened." she said after a few silent moments.

He sighed, nodding.

"Yes... you are right..." he said emotionlessly, bowing his head and quite unsure how to feel at the present moment.

"I just... I just wish there was some way for me to make it all right... even with Father..." he said quietly, admitting what was troubling him.

"Come on. Let´s get back to the school." suggested Licie gently.

As he nodded, he noticed the letter from Gellert still in his hand.

"Good idea. I have a reply to write." he said and obeyed her light pull on his arm, allowing her to lead him back towards the castle.

...


	4. The Noble Potter Wedding

**A/N: **Finally, the third chapter of Albus' past is here.  
In this chapter I really wanted to show his friendship with Jonathan Potter, as well as show the other Potters, who were at the time members of the Top Noble Six families. All of the Potters in this chapter have their own stories now, but since this fic is about Albus and is from his point of view, I will not show them completely, but rather only what Albus sees and knows. Perhaps sometime later, I may write the stories of various Potter family members in history, but for the time being I will rather focus on what I am currently writing.

In the beginning of the chapter there will be a magical phenomenon described... and this won't be the last time it would be heard of in my stories. :) Btw don´t get confused by the two spells that will be mentioned there – the color preference is to symbolize the house preference (Gryffindor/Slytherin), they were NOT _Expelliarmus_ or _Avada Kedavra_.

With that much said I hope that the new chapter of _Confronting the Past_ will be to your liking.

**HK07**

_**Chapter Three: The Noble Potter Wedding**_

_**Hogwarts, November 1894**_

As Licie predicted, the entire Boggart-mishap was long forgotten by the students before he even knew it.

There were quite a few, more impressive matters keeping the student-body talking nowadays...

The beginning of November marked the yearly competition, most students were heartedly looking forward to - the school's Duelling Tournament.

The contest mimicked that of the country's _National Duelling Tournament_, (also held in the first week of this month) - one, where only witches and wizards, who are already of age can attend.

Here at Hogwarts though, the Heads of House choose six students from their house, who would duel one-on-one in front of the entire school. And... as always... the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin - Professor Rutherford and Professor Flint - took the challenge very, _**very **_seriously.

The contest was open to third-years and above, although third and fourth-years are rarely picked.

Most of the school was expecting HIM - the genius Gryffindor - to be chosen for the Gryffindor team. Most of the Slytherins, with their Head of House in the lead, protested about "_fair-play_" and "_even-chances_" so much, that Professor Black had relented and officially forbade him to participate. Nevertheless such a thing was not extended to his son - the Head Boy - who was the last year's champion.

Professor Rutherford instantly took this as a personal challenge, and brought out a secret trump-card - another third-year. Once the Tournament was over, Gryffindor House sported a new hero - Jonathan Potter.

Jonathan, though unsure of himself a bit at first, had come through and _actually _won the entire Tournament, stealing the Champion title from Sirius Black and the Slytherin House.

Professor Flint was instantly furious and started to protest, but this time Professor Black came up with an interesting proposal - a duel against Professor Rutherford.  
The pair of them instantly jumped at the opportunity and treated everyone to a show, Hogwarts will most likely not forget for a few good years at least.

Everyone, including HIM were amazed by the duel... a duel which had an unexpected conclusion...

Despite the fact, that both Professors were still in the Hospital Wing, he (along with most of his classmates) couldn't help but feel very curious about it. He couldn't wait for Gellert's next letter, so that he can write to him about this - he had never _seen _something like this.  
When Professor Rutherford and Professor Flint fired their last spells at each other, the two beams of light (ironically a fiery-red and a bright-green one) hit each other. For a while, they actually remained in mid-air - both seeming to try to force the other out of the way. The two Professors also seemed to be unable to move at that moment. It were almost as though they were trying to force their spell to break the opponent's one.  
He remembered seeing the other Professors, and even the Headmaster look at the pair of them in astonishment. He was completely sure however, that unlike the students, they knew EXACTLY what was going on.  
Then, as if the clash could not last any longer, the two beams of light exploded with an all-mighty force, sending both duellists to the ground and into unconsciousness.  
For a small moment there, he actually thought (and he wasn't the only one), that the pair of them were dead.

Luckily, it was not the case and the pair of them were quickly tended to by Madam Abbott.

He of course wanted to know, what happened and in such cases, one could always count on old Professor Max to explain.  
In fact, since today's Charms class began, he most eagerly talked about the duel with their class, instead of getting on with the lesson - something neither Gryffindors nor Hufflepuffs in their class minded one bit.

"... Oh, of course one could have expected the pair of them to duel so fiercely. They were intense rivals since they were students, you know." said Professor Max, instantly making the entire class' jaws fall down.

The elderly Professor actually giggled as he nodded.

"Indeed. Oh, you really should have seen them in the old days - against each other since their very first-year. Only... don't go repeating that, please. Or the pair of them will send ME to the Hospital Wing next."

The class shared a laugh - it was one of the things they all liked about Max, his sense-of-humour.

He saw, that Elphias and Aristotle were snickering, Jonathan was laughing heartedly, Licie was giggling and even Alisdair, who had his arms folded, was chuckling while shaking his head.

"The end of their duel though confirmed to me, what I had suspected all along - no matter how much those two would deny it." said the Professor, shaking his head in mild-astonishment.

"What happened there, Professor? Why did their spells clash like that?" he asked, happy to finally come to what he wanted to know the most.

The class felt silent instantly. Max however nodded at him with an approving smile.

"It's a very rare occurrence, Dumbledore. So rare in fact, that it was my first time seeing one."

Most of the class were shocked to hear that. It must really be _extremely _rare, if Professor Max - a hundred-years-old, well-travelled wizard, who was one of the world's best experts on Charms and attends the _International Confederation of Wizards _every year, had seen it _**for the first time!**_

"It is known as _**Similis Potentia**_... or _Equal-Power effect_."

Most of the class looked at each other in awe. Jonathan exchanged a look with Alisdair, who was rarely so amazed by something.

"It occurs - as the name suggests - when the two duellists are _completely _and _absolutely _equal in terms of their Magical power. As you have seen, when their two spells collide with each other in one single precise moment, the two spells - and it does not matter which they are - as well as the ones who have cast them are locked in a power-struggle of sorts - something which is referred to as a _Lockdown Momentum_. Without this effect, the spells would either cancel each other out, or one would best the other, dependent on the magical power of the respective casters. When the two spells are of _exact __**equal **_power however, the _Lockdown Momentum _will keep them struggling against each other."

He scratched his nose, as he pondered on it... reflecting on the duel's last moment. At once, a question formed in his head.

"Professor... how long can this _Lockdown Momentum _last? Can the duellists influence it?"

"Naturally. In fact, the _Lockdown Momentum _lasts **because **of their influence. In that moment, one is trying to overcome the other's spell... concentrating all their magic into their own."

Several of his classmates (like Jonathan or Aristotle) were clearly lost now. He wasn't though...He recalled the way, the two spells were clashing... and if they're in equal power... and only _more _is being concentrated into them as the _Lockdown Momentum _lasts...

"THAT´S why they exploded, right? Because of the amount of power that had built up... and that's why both of them were blasted back and fell unconscious?"

Professor Max clapped his hands enthusiastically.

"EXACTLY, Dumbledore. As for the unconsciousness... well... they say that it does not always occur - that it depends on the kind of spells that clashed. A blast though, _always _occurs. In fact, we can safely assume that the stronger the equal pair - the stronger the blast."

He nodded, now understanding fully. The answer also, provided another question.

"And the casters... are they affected by the spells that exploded?"

"In theory, THAT always depends on the spells that were used. _Also _on the actual power of the respective duellists... I believe that in some cases the spells would work normally, and in others they would prove to be ineffective."

The school bell rang suddenly, signalling the end of the lesson.

"Oh dear... it looks as though we have spent too much time discussing this. Well... no matter, there are always things to learn even from unusual lessons. Off you go then, young ones." said the Professor, once more going into his mildly-cryptic mood, mystifying most of the class.

He could see the logic in what he said though. His classmates were chatting about it as they exited the classroom, now at least knowing what had happened.

"I always knew Professor Rutherford was awesome, but... _wow_..." said Elphias, still in awe.

Several Gryffindors also nodded enthusiastically.

"And now we know when her rivalry with Professor Flint began." said a Hufflepuff girl.

"Yes... and they are apparently _equal_."

The lot of them laughed all thinking of the same thing and even HE could not help but ponder on the possibility...

"D'you think that - since they're equal in power - the two of them could be... er... _bonded_...?"

The entire crowd exploded in laughter at the prospect. He too chuckled, imagining their two Professors finding _that _out, if that were indeed the case.

"You should've asked Professor Max **that **too, Albus. I'm sure he would laugh at this..." chortled Elphias.

"Imagine Rutherford and Flint out on a date." said someone, sending everyone into a laughing frenzy.

"They'd most likely kill each other."

"You don't know for sure - maybe they're in love after all... maybe they'd get together if they had the chance." said a Hufflepuff girl, making them all laugh even harder.

"And get married... imagine what THAT would be..." added someone.

He laughed heartedly at the very prospect of it - in such moments, he couldn't help but let his childish side have its way.

As they all laughed, he noticed that Licie and Jonathan were missing.  
Not seeing either of them pass their group, he quietly moved towards the Charms classroom, certain that they would be there. As he came closer, he saw that they _were _\- talking about something in private, far away from everyone else.

He was surprised at this. He knew, that Jonathan and Licie knew each other since childhood (since Abbott and Potter Noble families were fairly close), but they only spent time together when _all _of them were around.

Though knowing, that he probably shouldn't pry... he was curious about this...

Moving closer to the open door of the classroom, he could see and hear the pair of them quite clearly.

Whatever they have been talking about, Licie seemed to be greatly overjoyed about it.  
So much in fact, that she suddenly grabbed Jonathan in a hug.

Jonathan's face instantly exploded in red colour and he stiffened as though he were petrified.

"I can't believe you did that for him." she said, sounding thoroughly grateful.

Jonathan blushed even harder, closed her eyes and turned his head to the side as Licie let go of him.

"´Course... Al is my mate after all... just... just doesn't tell him anything, Licie. I don't want him to get his hopes up or anything... I mean, my Dad could simply say "_no_" and that's the end of it..."

He made a few cautious steps forward, recognizing that he would most likely learn more, if he remained unnoticed.

As he pondered what this was about, he saw Licie give Jonathan a radiant smile before while shaking her head.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you _cared _enough to give it a try."

Jonathan's face was still turned, but he opened one eye to look up (being the shorter one among the two) at Licie.

"Well, of course I did... I DO have a heart, you know..."

Licie giggled at that.

"Yes you do, Jonathan... and you have it in the right place."

She did something he (and apparently Jonathan too) didn't expect. She bent down a bit and gave Jonathan a kiss on the cheek.

Jonathan instantly blushed, turning his head towards her and giving her a shocked look.

Licie laughed and ruffled his messy dark-brown hair.

"Thank you."

"D-D... Don't mention it!" Jonathan stammered so nervously, that it instantly set her into a fit of giggles.

"Come on then, you... we have another lesson to get to."

THAT urged him to get as far (and fast) away as possible.

He dashed across the corridor in top speed, putting a considerable distance between him and the classroom before Jonathan and Licie could even hope to exit it. He managed to reach the Potions Classroom before his friend, who came in after a few moments and was instantly greeted by sneers and hisses from Slytherins.

Their fellow Gryffindors (save from Alisdair) all smirked, as Jonathan answered the Slytherins' looks by grinning and tapping his _Duelling Champion _badge, which he now wore very proudly on his uniform - something the Slytherins clearly _**did not LIKE!**_

"I keep telling you, not to get so cocky about it! That bloody tournament had **RULES! **In a **real **duel _anything _goes! Beating Black in a little contest does NOT mean that you can outperform him _for real!_" growled Alisdair, the moment Jonathan had sat down.

Elphias and Aristotle groaned, as Jonathan scowled, opening his mouth to say something.

"Come ON, you two - not THIS again!" exclaimed Elphias instantly, before another word could be said.

Indeed, Alisdair and Jonathan bickered on the "_you don't think I´m a match for Sirius Black_" issue for two days now.

This time however he paid no attention to the small wave of hushed bickering, that came to an end when Professor Black (substituting for their hospitalized Potions Master, and clearly not liking the prospect) had entered the classroom - the pair of them knew better, than to bicker in front of their grumpy Headmaster.

Over the most of the lesson - given that he found today's brew particularly simple - he pondered on the conversation he had overheard.

What in the world could Jonathan be up to...? Something for HIS sake...? And it was depending on his father's answer...? For once, he was completely unable to piece the clues he had overheard together...

"_What _could _he be up to?!_" he thought in mild frustration at his inability to reach a decent answer.

...

The answer came two days later.

During breakfast on Wednesday, he saw that Jonathan was clearly nervous about something - getting up early and not even eating much, which was very unusual.  
While the others were busy eating or chatting, Jonathan was simply looking up at the Enchanted Ceiling, clearly expecting the owls to arrive with the morning mail.

Soon enough, they did.

Jonathan stiffened, as their family's magnificent snowy owl arrived, carrying several letters. Immediately freeing the owl from them, Jonathan quickly counted them and let out a sigh of relief, oblivious to the owl's impatient screech.  
There were two white envelopes, but he could also see three green ones there as well.

Jonathan shuffled trough the lot of them, as though double-checking on something.

The owl screeched again, but the messy-haired addressee was in the middle of separating the letters into two small piles. Clearly agitated, the owl swiftly (but not in a way that could do any real harm) pecked Jonathan's hand.

"OW! Oh... right... sorry, Bubo." said Jonathan hurriedly, pushing a goblet of pumpkin-juice to it.

The owl for a moment seemed to be glaring the young Potter, but drank from the goblet regardless. As soon as it finished, it immediately took flight again and disappeared among the owls that were exiting the Great Hall.

"Hey, Jonathan..." called Alisdair, who sat across the table, facing him, Jonathan and Aristotle, drawing their attention.

Alisdair had the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet _in his hands and Elphias was looking over it as well.

"...your brother has made the news on page nine."

Jonathan instantly slapped his forehead.

"What did he do NOW?!" growled Jonathan.

He frowned, looking at the newspaper in Alasdair's hands. He never cared much for reading the Daily Prophet... he only read it sometimes as a child with his father... until he was imprisoned...  
He knew though - hearing more than enough from the girls in their dormitory - that page nine was the gossip column.

"He's coming home, apparently." answered Alisdair.

Elphias took the newspaper into his own hands and started to read the article.

_As it were reported by a source in the Noble circle, the upcoming Noble wedding of Cassimus Slughorn and Violet Potter, which is to take place this weekend, is really going to be a spectacular event. As expected, both Noble families are in heavy preparations and more than a hundred invitations have already been sent. _

"Wow - your sister is getting married this weekend?" asked Elphias in awe.

Jonathan's face turned a little red, as he nodded.

_Several - if not all - young ladies from the Noble families were instantly asking only one question - is Alexander Potter going to attend his elder sister's wedding?_

_Their mother, Corvina Potter confirmed that though still abroad for the moment, Alex will definitely come. _

_The Noble-girls rejoiced over the fact that their darling little crush is coming home from his travels at last. Many of them have been disappointed, years back, when the young Noble - fresh out of Hogwarts - announced his intention to visit some of the Colonies and travel the world instead of settling down and starting a family of his own. Indeed, several girls (not only from the Noble circle) have then voiced their strong wish to come along with him..._

"Quite the popular one isn't he?" asked Aristotle, but Jonathan only groaned.

_As it became widely known, his little assistance to our Colonial Ministry in India had gained him a level of prestige. The adventurous young Potter was only encouraged to set off for more... ahem... _adventures_. Each of his visits abroad had certainly given massive headaches to his father - Jacob "_Justice_" Potter, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

"You have no idea." muttered Jonathan darkly.

HE however, was astounded.

"You never said that your father is the _**Head **_of Magical Law Enforcement."

Jonathan blushed even harder and adverted his gaze.

"Guess the subject never came up."

True - it didn't. Jonathan never really spoke much about his family. He only knew that, his friend had three siblings and that his father works at the Ministry.

_Of course, Alexander had his fair share of exploits during his stay at home as well. Each of them of course have always been looked up to with admiration - be it his achievements in Transfiguration and Magizoology, or his famous winning of the _National Duelling Tournament _two years ago. _

"He won the NATIONAL Duelling Tournament?!" exclaimed Elphias in astonishment.

Jonathan grumbled incoherently, his face how quite red no matter how much he tried to cover it with his hand.

_This, of course, made him a very wanted candidate for the hands of many Noble daughters._

_However, the Potter heir had declined all offers, before once more setting out on his journeys abroad. _

_His last "_big adventure_" in the faraway country of Japan has indeed left a real mark that shook everyone in the Noble circle and the Ministry as well. _

_A large _thank-you gift _on behalf of the Japanese wizards has been sent to our country in the early May of this year, crediting the young Alex Potter for his bravery and the significant role he played in vanquishing a very dangerous Dark Wizard in their country - such, or so they wrote, as they hadn't had in their country for more than two-hundred years._

"I read the article about that. And my father and uncle told me all they knew over the summer. They hold him in very high regards." muttered Alisdair.

_He had since then remained in Japan, and several Nobles seemed to be under the impression that he would not be coming back at all this time._

_The Noble girls' great joy of him coming back home, was however shattered by Corvina Potter, who had informed the Noble circle yesterday, about her son's engagement to a young woman from Japan._

"ENGAGEMENT?!" exclaimed Aristotle, Elphias as well as him.

Jonathan only nodded.

"Well... the dragon had been woken... Yes - Alex sent us a letter, informing us of his engagement as the summer-break began. Mum, Annabel and Violet all cried, and Dad drained an _entire _bottle of Firewhiskey. He decided to keep it quiet until now, because of the other Noble Heads." Jonathan explained, looking at Aristotle, who nodded.

"And with good reason too." muttered Elphias before going on.

_The news instantly caused uproar among the Noble family Heads, particularly among those in the Noble Top Six, to which the Potter family also belongs. Jacob Potter has however explained the situation, confirming that his son's fiancée is a member of a Japanese Noble, Pure-Blood Wizarding Family. _

_Though several his fellow Top Six Heads are still angry, the _Noble Family Law _is very clear on this point._

_In the meantime, the main concern of most Noble families will be to ease the pain of their heartbroken unmarried daughters..._

_Indeed, the measure of pain and disappointment of the Noble girls is comparable only to the one the female Noble circle had suffered almost three decades ago, following the tragic death of Alexander's popular uncle - Daniel Potter._

"Quite the impressive family you've got there, Jonathan." he said, shaking his head in astonishment as Elphias set down the newspaper.

Jonathan blushed as hard, as he'd seen him blush in the empty classroom when Licie kissed him.

"You'll get to meet them... if you want to, that is..."

All of them looked confusedly at their red-faced friend, as he reached for the green envelopes.

"I wanted to tell you about the wedding myself, but since my brother spoiled everything with his _making the news _again..."

Taking the three green envelopes, Jonathan passed one to Elphias and Alisdair, keeping the remaining one for himself.

He could see his name on the envelope, written in beautiful golden handwriting.

"Professor Black has been informed and gave a special permission - as he _should_, since ALL the Noble Families along with our Noble classmates will be there too... Aristotle already got one with his family..."

They looked at him with astonishment.

"You mean..." breathed Elphias.

"...we are..."he breathed in an equally stunned tone.

Jonathan nodded his head stiffly.

"You are all _officially _invited to the wedding this weekend."

...

"Haven't you ever heard of a _comb_, Potter?!" sneered Professor Black, looking at Jonathan and shaking his head.

"I've tried, Professor. But it won't lie flat, no matter what I do." explained Jonathan, scratching his messy hair in the process.

In fact, the Jonathan DID make an honest attempt to make his hair behave - to no avail unfortunately.

"Then why haven't you brewed the simple Hair Potion I taught you to make on your last Potions lesson?!"

"I was preparing other things for today's party, as well as for the wedding tomorrow."

"Oh, a likely story...!"

He, Elphias and Alisdair however were too preoccupied to pay any attention to the argument.

The other Noble children from the school have been picked up by members of their families, once the Friday classes had ended. Like Aristotle for instance, who had been escorted by his older - already of-age - brother.  
THEY, unlike their Noble classmates had to prepare in their dormitory room and were transported out of Hogwarts by a Portkey along with Professor Black, who took it as his duty to escort his students.

As they met in the Great Hall, the highly authoritative Headmaster quickly summarised everything that was expected of them on the pre-wedding party (such as respectful bows and the other works) before turning his sights to Jonathan.

Not paying attention to the argument between the two, they were awestruck by the very view of Slughorn Family Mansion - it literally took their breath away. They have never seen something so spectacular.

"Damn... Nobles sure know how to live!" muttered Alisdair.

He couldn't help but agree, as they all walked trough the Mansion's entrance hall - even more grandiose than anything he could EVER imagine.

He was amazed by the sheer amount of fine artwork, as they passed - portraits, statues, even some rather interesting objects, which he was sure they were rare.

They came to a halt before a large, magnificent wooden door, guarded by a suit of armour - quite like at Hogwarts.

Professor Black turned to the lot of them, and gave them a last, stern look.

"Now... Dumbledore, Doge, Moody - for one last time, I expect you..."

"To be on our best behaviour." he repeated, along with Alisdair and Elphias - really, it had to be the dozenth time the Professor had said it.

"Correct. You may not have your own Noble families to represent, but you _still _represent MY SCHOOL! You can rest assured, that any sort of misbehaviour here will be strictly punished by me, _personally_. Are we clear?!"

"Yes, Professor." all three of them answered.

Professor Black turned around, pulled out the invitations that he had collected from them in the Great Hall, and along with his own handed them to the suit of armour.

The armour instantly came to life, took the invitations and inserted them into its helmet before tapping the ground with the bottom of the spear it held.

"**Phineas Nigellus Black, Jonathan Potter, Elphias Doge, Alisdair Moody and Albus Dumbledore.**" boomed a deep voice on the other side of the door, before the door was slowly opened.

They were greeted by a truly breathtaking sight.

The grand, amazingly decorated ball-room was full of people. It was almost like the end-of-the-year feast at Hogwarts. Except here, there were all age-groups... everyone dressed in amazing dress-robes.  
He was now very thankful to his Mum that he at least had some decent dress-robes to wear... but... compared to the rest of the guests... he felt completely outclassed.

Together, they all approached the couple that stood not far from the door.  
The large, fairly built man with fair hair was smiling very pleasantly at the lot of them, but the smile paled in comparison to the loving smile, that the taller woman with long black hair had on her face.  
Coming closer, he could see that she had the very same eyes like Jonathan, whom she instantly took into a warm, loving hug.

"I´m so glad you could come, Jonnie." she breathed happily, still holding onto her brother.

"´Course... you know I wouldn't miss it, Vi - not for the world." Jonathan replied, returning the hug with all his might.

Once separated from his sister, Jonathan stiffened and offered his hand to the gentleman beside her.

The man laughed jovially and shook his hand instantly.

"A pleasure to see you again, Jonathan. Or should I say - my little brother-in-law."

Jonathan smiled a small blush on his face.  
Professor Black exchanged polite, noble greetings with the couple, before excusing himself and walking away towards the great amount of people in the room.

Jonathan instantly turned towards them, immediately taking-on a very formal look.

"Friends... allow me to introduce my eldest sister Violet, and my future brother-in-law, Cassimus Slughorn."

Elphias and Alisdair exchanged polite greetings and hugs with the pair of them, but when it came to _him_...

"And you must be Albus... I've heard so much about you - Jonathan holds you in very high esteem..." said Violet Potter, embracing him happily.

He could feel himself going slightly red, as he felt himself positively melted into the warm embrace.

"_The Genius Gryffindor_, or so they call you at Hogwarts, I hear..." said Cassimus Slughorn, offering his hand once he had separated from Violet.

"They - they call me that, yes." he replied politely.

Cassimus laughed, clapping his shoulder jovially.

"A modest one - I like that."

Before anyone could say anything else, a smaller girl in fiery-red dress-robes ran towards Jonathan, and grabbed him in an overjoyed hug.

"B-Bella..." stammered Jonathan, once more going red in the face, as the smaller girl hugged him tightly.

"I missed you so much, Jonnie..." she practically squealed, making the hosting couple laugh.

Even Jonathan, as red as he was, couldn't help but let out a laugh as he returned the hug with equal strength.

"I - I missed you too, Bella."

Once the smaller girl separated from her brother, she turned her bright attention to the lot of them.

"Bella, these are my friends - Alisdair, Elphias and Albus..."

The little girl instantly broke into a happy smile.

"Yay! I finally get to meet my brother's best friends. I'm Annabel - Annabel Potter... pleased to meet you." she exclaimed, giving all three of them a happy hug.

"She is my youngest sibling." explained Jonathan, a proud grin present on his face as he placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Your _best _sibling, you mean!" rectified Annabel, tickling her brother under the ribs.

Jonathan - being very ticklish - laughed and wiggled like crazy, trying to get out of his sister's reach... something Annabel didn't let him do.

He laughed along with others, but for some strange reason... he felt, that there was something very familiar to him going on here...

"Stop this _at once_, you two..." came the voice of a woman from nearby, making them stop instantly but still remain in each other's grasp.

Turning towards it, he saw a black-haired woman in beautiful bottle-green dress-robes approach them, her eyes (exactly the same Jonathan and Violet had) looking very gentle despite her strict expression.

"This is an **official celebration**, as you full-well know! This is _hardly _the place to be fooling around!"

The two young Potters instantly let go of each other and, as though they have JUST realized that, and bowed their heads respectfully.

"Forgive us, Mother." both recited as one.

The woman gave a stiff nod, before turning her sights on the rest of them.

"Ah, yes. You must be my younger son's guests of honour." she said, in a much calmer (even warmer) voice.

Jonathan quickly stiffened and moved closer to them hurriedly.

"Yes. Mum - I mean, _Mother_... allow me to present my best friends - Elphias Doge, Alisdair Moody and Albus Dumbledore."

All three of them greeted Madam Potter in the Noble way, that Professor Black had taught them, although Elphias did it a bit clumsily, and Alisdair too stiffly.  
_He _however...

"Ah, a perfect Noble greeting." said Madam Potter approvingly.

"Phineas had just informed us, that he had taught you the Noble-greeting today..."

She smiled at the embarrassed look on Elphias´ face.

"Do not worry, dear. Very few can manage it on the first time - it simply needs practice." she said pleasantly.

"Albus did though." Annabel pointed out with a smile.

"As one would expect from a _genius_." said another - a man's voice.

A tall man with brown hair, dressed in stylish black dress-robes had come to them and surveyed all of them with his blue eyes.

Jonathan stiffed even more, once again giving a respectful Noble bow.

"_Father_... allow me to present..."

"I know, Jonathan - I have eyes and ears, you know." said the man, before approaching the three of them.

Once more, all of them gave the Noble greeting, with the exact same results, though Elphias and Alisdair had tried their best.  
Mr Potter, not troubled by this, introduced himself.

"Thank you for inviting us to the wedding, Mr Potter." he said with another bow of respect, knowing full-well that their invitations depended _solely _on the decision of the family Head.

Mr Potter simply shrugged.

"I believe Jonathan deserves your thanks much more than _I _do."

The armour at the door gave another dramatic tap on the ground, drawing everyone's attention to the door.

"**Reginald Abbott, Amelia Abbott, Alicia Abbott, Albert Abbott and Azrella Abbott.**" announced the armour, opening the door.

He smiled, as he saw Licie - looking very beautiful in her stylish dress-robes - walk with her parents, younger brother and her Aunt, Madam Abbott towards the hosting pair.

Jonathan tugged a bit on his robes and he turned to see, that the elder Potters were walking towards an empty table on the very end of the room, and Annabel was escorting Alisdair and Elphias there as well.

He quirked an eyebrow at Jonathan, who gestured his head to the table as well.

"This is an official celebration. And Noble rules state that only the Hosting Pair is to remain at the door, greeting the guests. You - as my guests of honour - are to sit with us at the family table. Each family has their own. We can talk to Licie later, when the official part is over."

As the pair of them passed, they saw Licie turn her head towards them and gave Jonathan a wink.  
Jonathan instantly turned beet-red, even as they walked away.

He couldn't help but suppress a grin.

"Is there something I should know about, my friend?" he asked, ever-so slyly.

Jonathan turned his head away from him, and unless he was very much mistaken, also pouted.

"Never you mind..." his friend replied grumpily.

Smiling and chuckling quietly, he followed his Noble friend to the Potter family table.

...

By the time the Saturday's wedding had come to an end, he could honestly say that this has simply been the best time he had EVER had.

He had fun, sampled from expensive dishes he had never even _heard _of, was able to hear wondrous music that was reserved for the Noble circle ONLY (Jonathan mentioned something about his late uncle _actually _composing some of the tunes there)... and also danced...

Yes... **danced! **He could only barely believe it.  
He was never the one to engage himself in such an activity.  
Well... until Licie and Annabel managed to convince him to do so, despite his protests that he did not know HOW to dance.  
The two girls found a way around that too - teaching him fairly quickly and after a while... he had come to very much _**like **_dancing.

Thanks to Jonathan (who was acting as their personal host and guide) he, Elphias and Alisdair now had a pretty good insight to the Noble circle, the Top Six Families (Lestranges, _Potters_, _Malfoys_, _Notts_, _Macmillans _and _Kellens_) and the Nobles´ rules and traditions.  
He was also acquainted with many Noble families like the _Weasleys _(who, Jonathan explained were related to the Potters trough his Dad), _Fawleys_, _Zabinis_, _Slughorns_, _Ollivanders_, _Shacklebolt _(most of whom had known Alisdair quite well, since they are on friendly terms with the Moodys), _Prewetts_, _Crouches_, _Shafiqs _and the _Longbottoms_.

To his great surprise, most of the families had heard about him - either from their offspring, who attended Hogwarts - or from some of his papers in _Transfiguration Today _or _Challenges in Charming_, and were most interested in meeting him.

Before he even knew it, he became the object of bright interest - almost as if he had been _admitted _among the Nobles.

There were those however, who certainly did not like this newfound popularity...  
The _Malfoys_, _Notts_, _Carrows_, _Lestranges _and _Blacks _(with the exception of Professor Black, who merely kept on a neutral expression) were all fixing him very dirty looks and not a single one of them had even bothered to talk to him.  
Jonathan explained that it was because of his lack of both pure-blood _and _Noble status.

He did not exactly mind - he was simply having too much fun.

Also, he had come to like Jonathan's family - the Potters - very much.  
He had lots of calm conversations with Violet, as well as her soon-to-be husband Cassimus, who reminded him of the always jovial Professor Max.  
He found himself laughing more than he thought possible at Annabel's witty little jokes and antics. There was just something about her that was so familiar to him... something so welcome... something, that he felt he had not experienced for a long time...  
He was greatly surprised and awed at Alexander Potter, who was easily-likable and very friendly. He was also very talented and even well-travelled than Professor Max. He enjoyed the tales of his adventures as much as he could - whether on the Noble party, the wedding celebration, or at the Potter Mansion, where they were sleeping over - and he could tell that he was not the only one. Other young Nobles, as well as his friends... _all _found Alex Potter as a person to look up to, clearly liking his open-minded views.  
Madam Potter, though a bit uptight on formal occasions like the Noble Party, greatly reminded him of his _own _Mum. She was caring and most loving to them, when she put down the formal Noble mask, as she herself called it. Thanks to her (she explained the rules and expectations of a Noble lady to him), he now had a very good knowledge of how the _Noble Family Rules _are. He felt a great amount of understanding and respect towards her, and very much liked her motherly-side that she had shown at the Potter Manor with either him, Alisdair and Elphias... or Alex's Japanese fiancée.

But whatever respect he felt towards Madam Potter paled in comprising with the amount of sheer respect he felt for Mr Potter. He had heard quite a few tales from the other Nobles about him, as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. But even if he didn't, he doubted it would change his feelings about him. In comparison to his own father, who was a rather meek person, Mr Potter seemed to have a sort-of authoritarian air around him - something that _demanded _respect... but in a very different way from Professor Black. One could easily understand why he was nicknamed _Justice _Potter. He had heard from many (mainly Crouches and Shacklebolts), that he is a man positively committed to justice and can not tolerate, when he feels that something is wrong. Furthermore, other families said, that though he seems tough and strict, he is also fair and understanding...

He sighed happily as they were all sitting in the large living room of the Potter Mansion, simply enjoying themselves once getting home from the wedding.

They chatted happily, he for his part took the opportunity to speak to the lovely Japanese young woman Alex was engaged to.  
And one could easily see WHY the ever-popular Alex fell in love with her.  
A fellow-adventurer, Miss Midori (she had to spell it out for Elphias and Alisdair, in order for them to get it right) was a bright, talented, charming and admittedly amazing witch.  
She was also as easily-likable as Alex - he had seen it with the other Nobles at the celebrations, his friends, and of course with the Potters.  
Violet got along very well with her... Annabel was instantly on very good terms with her, sharing with her a witty humour, and giggling like crazy each time Midori teasingly picked on her big brother... Madam Potter was also very warm towards her... Mr Potter seemed to respect her (though remarking that she is very much like Alex)...  
And Jonathan...  
Jonathan seemed to be extremely shy in her presence... as shy, as he anyone had EVER seen him...  
Blushing furiously and obviously losing the ability to speak whenever in her presence, Jonathan found himself to be the target of much teasing, mainly from Annabel and Alisdair.  
Miss Midori however found Jonathan positively adorable, and even suggested jokingly, that she may have fallen for the _wrong _Potter brother, and that _maybe _she should pick _Jonnie _(she struggled a bit to say it right) instead of Alex as her future husband - they all laughed, while Alex pouted and Jonathan blushed his reddest possible colour.

As for him, he enjoyed his talks with her, particularly going over the differences in _their _magic and the oriental one and finding them immensely interesting.

As Elphias and Alisdair, closely followed by Annabel, Madam Potter and even their family house-elves (especially a little one named Apricie) asked about their famous defeat of the Japanese Dark Wizard _Orochimoto_.  
Though eager to hear the story of a wizard, who had united the dark wizards of Japan and wished to take total control, he could not help but notice that there were two people, that were missing - Jonathan and Mr Potter.

Feeling as though it were the exact same repeat of the way he had spied on Jonathan and Licie on Monday, he quietly separated himself from the group - just like before, no one had noticed.

He looked around as he exited the living-room, instantly spotting Mr Potter on the balcony.

He crept closer, once more feeling most curious.

The balcony door was open, and though winter was slowly coming, the numerous Warming Charms placed on the balcony and the garden made it feel, as though it were still summer.

Even from the distance, he could see that Mr Potter was smoking a pipe - something he had only seen the Muggles in Godric's Hollow do, not the Head of one of the Top Six Noble Pure-Blood Wizarding families.

"... and I really want to thank you for it, Dad. I mean... I didn't expect you to _actually _look into it so much..."Jonathan's voice was heard, but there was something in it - a mixture of relief, as well as a kind of genuine, badly-masked joy.

Mr Potter puffed on his pipe once more, letting out a stream of smoke.

"You do not need to thank me, Jonathan. It is my _duty _to investigate properly... even if my subordinates do not bother to do so in these cases. _Honestly_... sometimes I feel that I should excercise much more control over them... Do not thank me yet though, son. There may not be a real chance for even ME to actually help in this case."

He could see Jonathan come up and hug his father.

"I don't care. Licie told me - and I agree with her - that all that matters is that we care enough to try."

Strangely, he saw the famous, ever-strong _Justice Potter _return his young son's hug and chuckle.

"Quite the smart girl... that lady-friend of yours."

Jonathan instantly jumped away from his father, and even in the distance he could see, that Jonathan had gone beet-red in the face.

"D-Dad! She is NOT my-my... my lady-friend...or whatever!"

Mr Potter laughed heartedly and (in a gesture, many would not believe of him) ruffled his son's messy hair.

"I believe you, Jonathan. But... let us say that I would not be opposed in seeing this lovely young lady join our family."

"D-D-Daaad!" exclaimed Jonathan, pouting childishly.

Mr Potter chuckled again before turning to him, a very serious look on his face as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"That aside for now... I wish to speak to you about something else as well. As I have observed Albus on the party and the wedding, I have also observed your interactions with Alex."

Jonathan instantly turned his head away, but his father placed his other hand on his shoulder.

"Jonathan... I have noticed, and I had been aware of it for some time... you are chasing after him, aren't you..."

It wasn't a question. With the insight he had into the Potter family, he was finally able to understand Jonathan fully. He remembered the first time, when he met Jonathan and the young Potter had said that he had a LOT to live up to. He now understood that Jonathan was living in the shadow of his brilliant brother... And by all accounts, Mr Potter was well aware of it.

"Y-yes... I - I know that you all want me to be more like him..."stammered Jonathan, clearly admitting something he had kept to himself up until now.

"NO!" Mr Potter boomed instantly, making his son turn his head and look him in the eyes.

"Listen to me, Jonathan. While it IS true, that Alex has the talent, intelligence and the popularity..."

Jonathan instantly looked downward, clearly thinking he could never be a match for that.

"...that does NOT mean that I expect the same of _you_, Jonathan. On the contrary - I am happy to know, that you are _different_."

Jonathan looked up at his father in astonishment.

"Yes, Jonathan... and you have shown me EXCTLY how different you really are... when you asked me to re-investigate this case for your friend's sake. I have monitored Albus, and I can honestly say I understand why you look up to him so much. In fact, I am happy to know, that you have such a friend."

He moved closer to the balcony, now knowing that the conversation Jonathan had in the Charms classroom with Licie WASN´T about Violet's wedding at ALL!

"Alex has his virtues, but YOU _yourself _have them as well. Virtues Jonathan, that are entirely your own. Please do not get carried away with your brother's popularity... be yourself - that is all anyone, including ME can ask of you."

Jonathan's breathing grew laboured - it was almost as if he was about to cry. His father nevertheless carried on.

"I wanted to tell you sooner... _**I **_was once chasing my brilliant brother's shadow as well."

The confession clearly shocked the young Potter, completely making him forget his emotional state.

"YOU, Dad?" Jonathan asked, his voice showing just how inconceivable the idea to him was.

Mr Potter chuckled, almost bitterly.

"Indeed. Your uncle Daniel was once as popular, if not more, as Alex. When I was your age, I was bitter. I thought that I should be as brilliant as my brother. Only later I found out, that I never NEEDED to be - I never forgot that lesson. And I want you to know, that I accept you for who you are - not for who anyone would want you to be."

That was definitely too much for Jonathan - he instantly grabbed his father in a hug, a hug that seemed a one of intense relief and gratitude. He could instantly tell that this conversation had been put off for a long time.  
For a small moment, he could not help but feel very envious...  
He would never have the chance to have such a moment with his own Dad... never have the chance of showing him, just who he really was... or be accepted like this... or say the two simple words that Jonathan said after a moment...

"Thanks, Dad."

Suddenly he wished he HADN'T gone to search for them... or eavesdrop on this conversation...

"Its fine, lad. Now... let me to handle everything else, all right?" said Mr Potter, sounding incredibly gentle.

Jonathan separated from his father and wiped his eyes on his sleeve before nodding.

"Okay, Dad." he said, and turned towards the balcony door.

For a moment, he stood there wondering whether he should run away just like he had, when he had overheard Jonathan's conversation with Licie. But for some strange reason... he_ couldn't_...

"Jonathan..." Mr Potter called, making his son come to a halt.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Congratulations on your winning of the Hogwarts Duelling Tournament."

The smile on Jonathan's face could not possibly get any bigger.

"Thanks, Dad."

Mr Potter returned the smile with a small one of his own.

"Now... please return to the Living Room. And _**Albus **_\- please come on to the balcony, lad. I wish to talk to you."

His jaw fell down - how in the world could he knew, that he was there?!

Jonathan's jaw also fell down and he quickly made his way to him, instantly going red in the face.

"Y-you were listening?!"

He instantly felt an intense feeling of shame.

"S-sorry, Jonathan. I was merely wondering, where you were. I - I know I had no right to eavesdrop..."

Jonathan blushed even more, but took a deep breath and suddenly waving his hand neglectedly.

"Oh, who _cares_?! We are mates after all - we should not have secrets from one another! Sorry I didn't tell anything about this to you sooner, Albus... I was not sure if it would work or not, but... I did it for you."

Feeling genuinely touched, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I have grasped _that_. And I really DO thank you, Jonathan... though I am not sure, what this is about just yet."

Jonathan mimicked his gesture and placed a hand on his shoulder as well.

"Well... come and talk with my Dad - you'll understand. Licie got me thinking and I figured that I can at least _try _to help..."

He nodded, inwardly agreeing with Licie´s comment about Jonathan having his heart in the right place.

Without another word, they separated - Jonathan walking towards the Living Room and he making his way to the balcony.

Mr Potter was already sitting behind a small table, a chair already drawn and prepared for him.

"I had known that you were there. Well... sit down, lad." said Mr Potter, still puffing on his pipe.

He did as he was told, knowing that now his answer to what Jonathan and Licie were planning would be answered.

"Jonathan told me of your little accident a few weeks ago... and approached me with a plea for your sake, Albus. A plea to grant mercy, and free your father, Percival Dumbledore from Azkaban..."

...


	5. Reflections

_**Chapter Four: Reflections**_

_**Hogwarts, early December 1894**_

"Bravo, Dumbledore! _Bravo!_" cried Professor Max.

His smile grew even more as the elderly Professor begun to applaud enthusiastically, and other students in their class - both Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were quick to do so as well.

Grinning sheepishly and feeling even more elated by his success, Albus couldn't help but make a few exaggerated bows to his classmates from the blackboard.

His recent Charms experiment had worked even better than he'd anticipated and in no time at all, was complete and ready to be shown to the world.  
Well... his class and Professor Max actually...

"Excellent work, dear boy... _excellent_! I daresay, that this little experiment of yours will be making first pages of _Challenges in Charming _before the year is over."

Albus fixed his Charms Master another sheepish grin.

"_The world it is then..._" he thought happily, knowing that Professor Max will undoubtedly have sent his work to _Challenges in Charming _before the day is out.

"Eighty points for Gryffindor - for such an amazing piece of work."

The first four words instantly made his fellow Gryffindors look at the pair of them in amazement for a few seconds, before they jumped to their feet and cheered as one.

"THREE CHEERS FOR ALBUS!" roared Johnatan, turning to his fellow Gryffindors.

As it became the Gryffindor House's practice since the school's Duelling Tournament, the Gryffindors (this time directed by Johnatan) gave him the "_three cheers of glory_" as they called it. Even some of the Ravenclaws and their jovial Head of House joined in.  
Just as they finished, the bell rang.

"Oh, that's the time already. Very well then, you lot - off you go." said Professor Max jovially.

Albus quickly went to gather his belongings, though he was held-up a bit by the various claps on his back or shoulders from his fellow classmates. Alisdair, Aristotle, Elphias and Johnatan all waited for him though.  
They were of course quick to congratulate him on the success, mainly Elphias and Aristotle, and in good spirits, the five boys were leaving the classroom together.

"Dumbledore... a moment, if you'd please..." called Professor Max pleasantly, gesturing to the same place, which he occupied moments earlier.

"We'll wait for you outside, Albus." said Alisdair, and ushered Elphias and Aristotle (both of whom seemed to want to stay) out, followed by a snickering Johnatan.

Closing the classroom's door with a simple wave of his wand, Professor Max ushered him forward, a cheerful look on his face.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, wondering whether this might be about his experiment, or something else.

In fact... the latter seemed to be more probable... especially since he could see the Charms Master's excitement growing.

"Can you keep a secret, Dumbledore?"

The simple question caught him off-guard. For a wild moment there, he was not sure how to respond.  
He was, for a small moment torn between curiosity and the urge to laugh.

"_Can I EVER... ?!_" rang a small voice in his head.  
He only barely suppressed a sheepish grin at the thought. The elderly Professor had absolutely NO IDEA, just how many secrets he was currently guarding inside his head - and that one of them is most certainly the cause for his extremely good mood and renewed energy, eversince he'd returned from the Potter wedding.

"Of course, sir." he replied, keeping his smile pleasant and his thoughts to himself.

The aged Professor beamed at him and adopted a look of boyish happiness.

"You see, Dumbledore... I am recently examining a very curious object. Very curious indeed."

This peaked his interest - from how Professor Max was acting... it must be something incredible.

"It recently made its way to a friend of mine, who is positively mystified by it. Professor Black had most graciously allowed me to keep it here at Hogwarts, in an unused classroom... provided other students do not come across it, so I can examine it properly. I would like to show it to you, and hear your opinion - in utmost secret, of course."

"M-me?" he breathed, feeling genuilly touched.

"Why, of _course_."exclaimed Professor Max jovially, in a way that once more reminded him of Cassimus Slughorn.

But unlike Cassimus, Professor Max placed a hand on his shoulder and fixed him an earnest look.

"Albus... you are, without a doubt, the most talented student I have _EVER _come across. I very much respect that talent... and am very much interested in both your opinions _and _your development."

The explanation had made him blush. Afterall... Professor Max had been teaching at Hogwarts for nearly _sixty years_... and HE considered **HIM **the most talented...?!

"P-Professor..." he muttered dumbly, feeling a bit numb.

Professor Max laughed jovially, clapping him on the shoulder with the same hand.

"Oh, don't be so modest, dear boy. You'll go far, Albus - mark my words. There may very well come a time, when you shall be known as _**The Greatest Wizard of all time**_".

He seriously did NOT know what to say... in fact, he was unable to say _anything_, merely increasing his blush.

Professor Max coughed and withdrew his hand.

"So, if you CAN keep this a secret for me... meet me outside the old Charms classroom after Dinner. I daresay, that this object will be an interesting one for you to see."

On this enigmatic note, the old Professor ushered him from the classroom.

...

Still dodging the inquisitive questions from Elphias and Aristotle, that kept coming on for the remainder of the day's lessons, they slowly made his way back to their dormitory.

"Oh, will you two give it a REST already?! If Albus doesn't want to divulge the details, he WON'T - and you should both respect that!" exclaimed Alisdair, losing patience at long last.

Aristotle and Elphias shrunk a bit, finally accepting the fact, and he couldn't help but flash Alisdair a grateful little smile - one, he could tell, was returned.

They opened the door to their respective room, only to find Johnatan in a state of utter happiness - jumping around like a maniac, holding a letter in his hand.

The moment he saw them, he positively launched himself at him, grabbing him an all-mighty hug.

"Al – Dad's reply came! Al - he DID it!"

The simple three words instantly sent a wave of indescribable happiness through him.

In a split-second, he returned Johnatan's hug and joined him in his fit of simple jumping around and screaming in sheer and utter happiness, much to the confusion of their remaining three roommates.

"I - I can't believe it!" he found himself exclaiming, his excitement beyond measure.

"I've told you, Al! I've _told _you - if ANYONE can do it, HE can!" replied Johnatan in happiness, that was a pure copy of his.

The sheer fact of it made him embrace his Noble friend even more, in a hug that threatened to break his ribs - as testimony to his neverending gratitude.

"Johnatan... I can't thank you enough..." he breathed quietly, as soon as their happy hug-jumping came to an end.

Johnatan replied by hugging him even tighter.

"Al... I've told you – _you're my mate. _If _I _can't help you, WHO can?" said Johnatan, completely forgetting to keep his voice down in the wake of his excitement.

"What ARE you talking about?!" came the three-voiced question of Alisdair, Aristotle and Elphias.

He and Johnatan instantly jumped away from eachother, both suddenly embarrassed and blushing, especially in the wake of the inquisitive eyes.

"Oh... you wouldn't understand..." they both answered, as one - both instantly knowing, that it'd be pointless.

And it _was_... for even during dinner, Aristotle and Elphias still bombarded the pair of them with questions.

Nor him, nor Johnatan relented though.

And neither of them thought they SHOULD anyway.

But, although under the heavy questioning of his two friends, he still could not believe his luck.

That HE - _Albus Dumbledore_... had finally managed to right the injustice on his family... and without the family even _knowing _about it.

Once more, he could not help but relive the events at the Potter Manor, on the balcony.

_Mr Potter was puffing on his pipe, while HE was still trying to process the simple sentence he had just heard - _a plea to grant mercy for his father and release him from Azkaban!

_"As you may have overheard a moment ago, Albus... I have taken to my son's plea and quietly reinvestigated the case. And I HAVE found a few conflicting details... but - in order for me to help... I must know the _entire truth_."_

_The latter two words positively petrified him on the spot. And he knew (full-well by now) that the gesture would NOT go unnoticed infront of the _Head of Magical Law Enforcement_. _

_He bowed his head - partly in shame, partly in fear as he started to stutter._

_"I – I'm sorry, Mr Potter... b-but... it – it's – it's not... I'm - not... "_

_Mr Potter puffed from his pipe in an exasperation and fixed him with a stern look. _

_"Lad... we are both Gryffindors! Do you actually have so little courage, not to divulge information that can HELP?! When your own father's fate is in the balance?! When the information you hold could well enough be his saving grace?!"_

_The question instantly made him shoot his head up and meet Mr Potter's eyes - a new kind of strength in his eyes._

_"No, Mr Potter." he said, with as much strength as earnestness. _

_"The problem is, that it is not merely not my _father's _fate, that is in the balance."_

_The answer, surprisingly to him, did not seem to surprise Mr Potter at all. On the other hand... (judging by the small smile) it was as though it had affirmed _something _to him. _

_"I understand." he said, once more puffing on his pipe. _

_There was a small moment of silence, during which Mr Potter folded his arms and closed his eyes. After a few moments, Mr Potter opened his eyes._

_"Very well, Albus... I will tell you, what I have found. All you have to do for me, is to affirm with either _**yes**_ or _**no**_ \- that way, you will not violate any promise of silence you could have made..."_

_This made him gawk at Mr Potter in absolute _awe _\- it was almost as if he'd KNOWN!  
Almost despite himself, he found himself nodding._

_Mr Potter nodded back and once more folded his arms, puffing on his pipe. _

_"Here are the facts: Percival Dumbledore; a pure-blood, non-noble British wizard - educated at Hogwarts, a proud Gryffindor, a moderate student, hailing from a respectable family. Married to an American Muggle-born witch, Kendra Dumbledore. Father of three children - you, Aberforth and... Ariana."_

_The very name of his little sister made him flinch - Mr Potter, was right on the mark. Still, he could not help but nod at the truth._

_"The people, who had known your father had _swore _to me, that he was never, EVER a muggle-hater. Nor did he, nor any of his family EVER subscribe to The Pure-blood Supremacy Theory. And... since you were born, your family had lived in _Mould-of-Wood _\- a village which has as high a Muggle population, as it has a Wizarding one. These facts leave me with a single, fundamental question - why would a man like THAT suddenly attack three ten-year-old muggle boys with the _Cruciatus Curse_?!"_

_Albus found himself flinching again - it seemed, that after a long, LONG time, someone had actually asked the RIGHT question. _

_Mr Potter pretended not to have noticed and carried on._

_"And WHY would he confess to this act so willingly? Why would he not even _attempt _to run from the Ministry of Magic... merely waiting in his own house with his wife, surrendering his wand instantly? Without so much as a fight...?"_

_Albus once more flinched - freezingly remembering the events of that night. Neither of his parents knew about it, but both he and Aberforth had looked on from the stairs and watched helplessly, as their father had been taken away - never seeing him again._

_"WHY did he suddenly proclaim himself a muggle-hater and claim that he was merely protecting his house and property from, and I shall quote _**Muggle filth**_?! Why, following his extremely fast trial and conviction, had your mother Kendra relocated the household to Godric's Hollow, where she scarcely speaks to _anyone_, other than Bathilda Bagshot... AND, why in the world has your sister not been seen by ANYONE since your father's arrest?"_

_He found himself completely unable to move, realising that Mr Potter was somehow seeing through all of it; and was inwardly almost angry at himself for starting all this in the first place. _

_His state must have become clear to Mr Potter, for he opened his eyes and gave him a small, but soothing smile. _

_"Its okay, lad. But now - you have to answer to me... and _please_, if you want my help, answer honestly..."_

_He took a long puff from his pipe and asked boldly. _

_"Those three muggle boys - they did something to your sister, am I right? Remember... just answer _yes _or _no_..." he added with surprising gentleness._

_A million emotions flickered across his face, but after a while, finally, he nodded. _

_Mr Potter nodded, once more closing his eyes._

_"And that something... must have been very bad... correct?"_

_He nodded once again, seeing Mr Potter open his eyes and locking them with him. _

_"And when that something happened to her... your father sought revenge and wanted to protect her, am I right?"_

_He nodded, this time bowing his head in... well... shame - why did it have to happen to their family?!_

_There was a long silence on the balcony, during which time Mr Potter could be heard smoking his pipe. He could tell, even without seeing, that Mr Potter's stare did not leave his bowed head. _

_"Albus..." asked Mr Potter after a while, drawing his attention._

_"Is Ariana _alive_...?"_

_The gentle question actually filled his eyes with tears, and he could not help but nod his head in affirmative – really, what was the point of lying anymore? _

_Mr Potter's eyes, for the first time since the conversation started turned... well... _sad_._

_"And your Mother... along with you, and your brother have been taking care of her since... keeping her away from the public's eye... keeping her safe, making sure that your Father's sacrifice wasn't in vain... am I right?"_

_Almost cracking a sob, he nodded._

_"I understand."_

_The simple two words shocked him beyond imagining. Mr Potter noticed (frankly, it was hard not to notice) the look on his face, and nodded sadly. _

_"Yes - believe it or not, Albus... I FULLY understand."_

_For a small moment, once more retreating to his pipe, Mr Potter adopted a look, he recognised instantly – for he wore that look on his face, everytime he was alone and thought back to the tragedy that struck his family._

_"Please... keep this just between the two of us, Albus - I would not like for anyone, _especially _Johnatan to know... but... when I was young... I too had a younger sister with a… _problem_..." he muttered, looking sad and almost embarrassed, that he mentioned it - the very same mix of emotions HE himself had, whenever Ariana was mentioned. _

_Mr Potter coughed meaningfully and took another puff from his pipe. _

_"As you have overheard, I have spent much of my childhood chasing after my brilliant older brother, just as Johnatan is chasing his. But very few in the Noble Circle are aware, that we have also had a little sister... _Aurora_."_

_This came as a surprise to him - no one in the Noble Circle at the Wedding or the party at Slughorn Mansion had even mentioned her..._

_"She was a _Squib_. And you DO realize, what that would mean for a Family of the Noble Top Six, I gather..."_

_He nodded - with all the insight he had gained into the Noble Circle in the past 24 hours, he could tell, that producing a squib-child, and most especially into a Top Six family would endanger the position greatly... and the Family would have to deal with it, by renouncing the child... disowning it and relocating it into the Muggle World, before the "scandal and the shame" could become public._

_"She was our little treasure, Albus. We all tried to protect her as best we could."_

_THAT made him look up in astonishment. But Mr Potter looked earnest - there was no doubt, that he was telling the truth._

_"My parents knew full-well, that keeping her might very well cost the family much-if not all its status and influence, but they absolutely refused to renounce her. They made up stories of her ill health, and somehow managed to keep everything a secret among the Noble Circle. But as such, she was mostly confined to this manor and our grounds. We tried to do everything we could to keep her safe and happy. Much like your Mother tries to do for Ariana, am I right?"_

_He could only nod - feeling, that he could actually relate to the situation.  
Afterall, in the very same way, Ariana is now confined to the House during days, and only allowed for small walks with their Mother during night._

_"And she... Aurora... she was kind, joyful... playful – we've always kept on hoping, that _somehow_... perhaps… we could come up with a solution to this. But then... an accident happened... when she was nine..."_

_Albus could feel a kind of chill coming over him.  
Mr Potter's face reflected the same kind of pain, he felt for his little sister._

_"She - she wanted to show us - me and my brother, that she could do magic as well as we could... and... she reached for our Father´s wand in the arbor outside the Mansion..." said Mr Potter, his eyes showing a few tears, reliving the fateful day._

_"... and the wand struck her with a lightning-bolt... You see, my father's wand was a _Laurel _one and it did not take kindly to anyone else touching it... but... poor thing... didn't even have a chance..."_

_As Mr Potter bowed his head, he could not help but stand up and place a hand on his - showing solidarity._

_"We were forced to hush it all up... Noble Family Laws and all that... but we _all _knew... and never DARED speak of it!" Mr Potter exclaimed the latter six words, showing that he is STILL ashamed of that fact._

_"My father never forgave himself, you know... that it was his own _wand_, that killed his daughter. Eventhough none of us blamed him... but even then I could tell - each day... every moment... he would have given _anything_, for that wand to have killed HIM rather than Aurora..."_

_Albus bowed his head again, and suddenly felt _extremely _ashamed of himself - all this time he thought, that no one could _possibly _relate to his situation... not knowing what it was like to lose a sibling, and have the father face the consequences... blaming himself for it... and suffering the price...  
For the first time EVER... he could actually understand (as he had NOT been able to do so until now), how could his father bear a punishment like Azkaban...  
For the first time in his life - he could see his father's logic at seeking revenge at the three muggles who did this to Ariana... and had a stray thought, that it actually MAY have been worth it!  
Thinking about the story he'd just heard, Albus could easily relate, what THAT must have been for a family - Top Six Noble Family or not..._

_Mr Potter shook his head and regained some of his composure. _

_"In any case, Albus... you have proven to me, that you are in the same position, as _I _was all those years ago. Back then, I could not do anything about it... but thistime... I feel, that I CAN do something to help."_

_He stood up dramatically and placed a hand on his shoulder._

_"Albus Dumbledore... as the Head of the Potter Family, I _promise_, that I shall do everything I can to free your father from Azkaban, while keeping your sister a secret."_

_Numb beyond words, all he could do was nod again.  
Mr Potter however placed his other hand on his free shoulder and looked him straight into the eyes._

_"But Albus, please realise that even if I DO succeed, your Father will never _truly_ be free. I can try and use my influence and have him back in your home, but he may never again be permitted to use a wand. And, should he violate that order, the consequences may be even more severe than Azkaban."_

_In his young mind, he could not think of anything worse than a life-sentence in Azkaban anyway - and his father would be at home with Mum, Ari and Aberforth... even if he HAD to live like a muggle..._

_"Albus... this is a _**very serious thing!**_" said Mr Potter warningly._

_"Should this backfire... the position of the Potter Family in the Noble circle will be jeopardised... but worst of all, YOU will be jeopardised even MORE! For unlike _us_, you do not have the protection of the Noble Family Law."_

_He shook his head, not fully understanding what he'd meant. His stare met with the once more strong stare of the great "_Justice Potter"_._

_"Should this backfire... it is not only _**I **_\- the Top Six families are most strict in these matters, and you can bet that even the Minister for Magic himself will not risk his position for this - but also _**YOU **_will suffer the consequences... perhaps even Azkaban... and perhaps even worse..."_

_He felt his jaw drop... this was most definitely a HIGH risk... but... if his Father returned home..._

_"Albus... are you truly prepared to risk everything - and I do MEAN everything - for your father's sake?"_

_The question answered for itself in a simple moment._

_"Yes. Yes, Mr Potter - I am ready to face any and all consequences." he replied, with all the strength and courage he could muster - simply because it was the RIGHT thing to do._

_Mr Potter, he could tell, read the gesture perfectly, because he ruffled his hair in the same manner he ruffled his own son's mere half-hour before._

_"A true Gryffindor indeed."_

_The pride in his voice only affirmed his decision and erupted a proud smile - one that was instantly mirrored by the much older Gryffindor._

_"If only more of my subordinates had your moral courage... You know Albus, if all this goes well... and if you get past all your NEWTs... I would definitely be delighted to see you in my Office one day." said Mr Potter with a proud, yet cheeky smile that somehow mirrored BOTH his sons._

_He laughed almost beside himself - not just in happiness... but also in relief. _

_"In that case, Mr Potter... you have just struck yourself a bargain." he said, with the same cheeky grin, offering his hand to the Head of the Noble Top Six families, who took it in earnest._

...

Still happy beyond words, he finished his dinner and rose from the Gryffindor table, quickly explaining to the others that Professor Max had asked for him - making Aristotle and Elphias bombard him with questions yet again. They actually made to go after him.

"Oh, for Merlin´s sake!" exclaimed Alisdair, grabbing the pair of them by their robes.

"Will you two leave him _alone_ for once?! For the last time - he has as much right for his privacy, as you do!"

Sharing a last smirk with Johnatan, who seemed to be quite enjoying seeing Alisdair scolding their other two friends, he shook his head and made his way out of the Great Hall.

As soon as he was in an empty corridor, he sped up his pace. He'd seen at Dinner, that Professor Max had left early on.  
Soon enough, the pace sped up into a small run - he was barely able to contain his curiosity.

In no time at all, he reached the old Charms classroom - a classroom, that Professor Max is known to use from time to time, especially when he is forced to give Remedial Charms - and no one really understood WHY he always chose that classroom in these occasions...

Unsurprisingly, the old Professor was already there, waiting for him at the door.

"Ah, there you are, Dumbledore. Good, good... " he boomed, looking as excited as he himself was feeling.

They entered the old classroom, to which he had never been before.

The classroom looked very old indeed - run-down and simple.  
The school desks, a giant old blackboard, the little decorations and the small bulletin-board – it seemed as though every single inch of the classroom was simply old and outdated – unlike their present-day Charms classroom.  
Recalling the few stories he'd heard from older Gryffindors, who took Remedial Charms, Albus could easily understand their reluctance to spend any amount of time in such a "_dusty old, run-down hole_".

And he had to pose himself the question so many students before him had pondered upon – why in Merlin's name did Professor Max favor this old classroom so much.

It was a perfect hiding place for something, since students kept as far away from it, as they possibly could.

"Rather neat, isn't it?" asked Professor Max's voice, looking around the classroom proudly.

He turned to the age-old Professor, offering him a kind smile and a nod.

"It really is, sir." replying politely, though he could not imagine, what could be so neat about the place.

Professor Max grinned at him.

"You are kind, Dumbledore. But I know, what the students, and most of the staff think about the place. Very few understand, just what this dusty old classroom really is."

Taking a small sigh, Max smiled and looked around the vacant school-desks and chairs, seemingly lost in his own world.

"This place holds a very special importance to me. You see... this used to be my old classroom - I taught here years and years ago, since I first came to teach at Hogwarts. You have no idea, how many students I've taught here for _forty years_... until Professor Black insisted I relocate to our recent Charms classroom."

He found himself gaping at the old Professor, absolutely astounded at what he'd heard.

Professor Max grinned at him in response, giggling a bit.

"Yes indeed, Dumbledore. And so many great and gifted students sat here at these desks, when they were your age... and I had the great, great pleasure of being present at their youthful beginnings... watching them become the outstanding witches and wizards they are today..."

Moving alongside the vacant schooldesks, Professor Max looked on dreamily, as though he could see real people there.

"For example... take a look... _here_..."

He approached an old schooldesk (as all of them, they were made to seat two people), stopping by his teacher and looking at it, seeing nothing in particular, but Max was looking at it with utmost affection.

"Azrella used to sit here - every single lesson since being a little Hufflepuff first-year..."

"Azrella...?" he asked, feeling familiar with the name from the Potter Wedding.

Max gave him a roguish grin.

"You are most welcome to ask her... the next time you visit the Hospital Wing..."

His jaw almost fell.

"M-M-Madam ABBOTT?!" he positively exclaimed, his voice echoing in the empty classroom.

It was almost unreal to him to picture Madam Abbott (the kind yet stern, all-knowing and outstanding school matron) as a student his age, that once sat in the same classroom, taking lessons from Professor Max, just as HE did.

Max giggled at his response and nodded, pointing to the chair on his right.

"_This _was her seat, Albus."

He fixed his eyes on the now-vacant seat, and tried to imagine (as unimaginable as it sounded) Madam Abbott in his age, sitting here and paying attention to her Charms lessons.

"And right beside her... sat little Anabel..."

This time he had not trouble in recognising, just WHO he was talking about.

"_P-Professor Rutherford...?!_" he breathed - if unable to imagine Madam Abbott as a young student, it was _inconceivable _to imagine his Head of House as a young Gryffindor student!

He racked his numb brain and recalled some of the stories he'd heard at the Potter Manor - Professor Rutherford was a fellow Gryffindor with Mr Potter, and (like Madam Abbott) was a close friend of his since their school years. In fact... Mr Potter had said, that he named his youngest daughter _after _her.

He came back to reality, when Professor Max tapped him on his shoulder, giggling and pointing his wand on the side of the desk, where Professor Rutherford had once sat as a student his age.

"If you remember the _Similis Potentia _mishap..."

Max tapped his wand twice on the table, making writings appear on the desk - writings, that seemed to be made of two distinctive handwritings, he had no trouble in recognising...

_\- Muggle-bred LION! -  
_

_\- Pure-blood SNAKE! - _

"Anabel's seat was the very same, that Augustus... or should I say _Professor Flint _favoured in his own lessons. And _both _of them knew it... to this day, I have no idea, how they found THAT out! Haha... thank _Lord_, I didn't have the pair of them in my class _together_. As I explained... _against each other since their very first-year._ And they _still _think, that I didn´t know of these little invisible messages on their schooldesk..." giggled the old teacher.

Once more almost dropping his jaw, the writings on the schooldesk had somehow made it easier to see into the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads' old-time rivalry.  
For a small moment... he could almost imagine the pair of them as students... and... for the first time ever... almost _could _imagine the pair of them as a couple...

"And _here_..." said Professor Max, once more moving to another vacant schooldesk.

"Here sat another high achiever - _Baltus Zabini, the third_... the current Head of the Goblin Liason Office... and here, right beside him... sat our famous _**Justice Potter**_."

THAT definitely made his jaw drop.

"M-Mr Potter?!" he asked wildly - definitely NOT able to imagine THAT!

Max giggled once more and nodded.

"Yes indeed. Believe it or not, Albus - the great and famous _Justice _was once a Gryffindor student just like you."

The fact made him look at the empty seat more and more, trying to imagine Mr Potter (of ALL people!) as a student.

"And that seat, there... that was his older brother Daniel's..." said Professor Max, pointing to a seat on his immediate right.

There was a small moment of silence, during which the old teacher closed his eyes as though trying to suppress a particularly bad memory.

"Shame... a popular and talented boy, that one was... Its always a tragedy, to hear such a young promising wizard die tragically..." he muttered, almost as if talking to himself... shaking his head and looking positively lost in the memory.

Nevertheless, after a moment, the old Professor looked at the same seat, again with clear affection.

"But here also sat... a few years later... a rather charming young Slytherin girl - and very witty she was... Corvina..."

He didn´t even have to finish for him to know.

"M-Mrs Potter?!"

Max giggled again.

"Indeed. And quite the cunning adversary to Jacob, when he was Head Boy, I remember - always causing trouble for him..."

He was speechless - he remembered Mrs Potter gigglingly telling him and the others about her Hogwarts times, and how she used to challenge her husband Jacob constantly, despite being two years younger... but Max's recount of it seemed to have put it into a real perspective...

Albus now realised, WHY this simple run-down old classroom held such reverence for his old Professor - for him, it was a virtual treasure box of memories...

Putting all of this together, he realised all the more his Professor's wish to be a part of his "youthful beginnings"... and suddenly felt all the more privileged.  
Especially as he remembered what he said to him this morning...  
"_You'll go far, Albus - mark my words. There may very well come a time, when you shall be known as_ _**The Greatest Wizard of all time**_**.**"

The latter six words rang in his mind all the more now, and he almost failed to see Professor Max waving him to one of the first-row schooldesks.

Following, he approached the old desk, and saw that Max had once more tapped it with his wand, a most gentle expression on his face.

"There is also one more... if not very accomplished student I have taught here over the years... I meant to show you a month before, but... I wasn't sure, that... oh nevermind... "

He gasped, seeing the all-too familiar handwriting on the lower side of the desk.

_\- Percival Dumbledore, May 1870 - _

The sheer sight of what he was seeing made his eyes water.  
He felt Max's hand on his shoulder.

"One of the best Charms students I ever had - and I'm glad to say, Albus... that I'm glad to have known him."

Though the old Professor patted his shoulder sympathetically - he couldn't help but smile at the name.

"And Albus... I'm glad - I never believed his crime... – I'm glad, that I have YOU as a student... and glad, that you're proving yourself to be an even greater wizard than him - even NOW."

A few weeks ago, such a thing could have sent him into his depression-ensued isolation - NOW however, with everything that's going on, it produced a bright and honest smile to his lips - a bright smile he directed at his teacher.

"_You are right. A wizard _already_ better that him - one who can actually _sort out_ the trouble..._" he thought, despite himself; but knew better than to say it out loud.

"Thank you, sir." he only heard himself replying.

Max nodded and walked to the old blackboard. He followed, once more curious about this mysterious object.

"Well... as I explained, I have hidden the object here. It is a most curious object, with a rather mysterious past. For instance, its still a mystery as to WHO created it in the first place... or what incredible magic was used to make it... or even WHERE and WHEN it was made. Though my friend is fairly certain, that it had to have been created only recently – in the recent ten or twenty years, shall we say."

Albus couldn't help but chuckle at the casual and matter-of-fact way, Professor Max said _recent_.

"It's still older than _me_, Professor." he said in good-humor.

They shared a small laugh, as Max grinned and winked at him.

"You never know, Dumbledore. Though… I believe you are right."

Grinning, Albus looked at the blackboard, still not seeing anything extraordinary. So that must mean…

"You've hidden it _inside_ the blackboard, sir..." he said, his answer confirmed by Max's nodding.

"And… how do we get to it…?" he asked, knowing Max's little taste for games and jokes by now.

"By… as the Muggles say – _saying the magic words,_ of course." the Professor replied, feigning utter seriousness.

Albus' grin was growing larger.

"And those are…?" he asked, already feeling, that this is likely to be good.

"Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak."

He could not help but dissolve into a fit of laughter – not just at the choice of Max's magic words, but also the serious and dignified way he said them.

"I like that, sir… I must remember that – and use it someday." he chortled, while Max shot him a roguish wink.

The four words however DID trigger the magic effect – the blackboard was opening up. The two parts of the giant blackboard, that reached to the floor were sliding away from eachother, revealing a secret compartment.

"Stand back, lad." Max instructed, and just as well.

Something was moving out of the compartment towards them.  
At first, Albus thought it was a giant blanket, but no – something was covered underneath it.

It seemed to be as high as the ceiling – it was no wonder, why Max chose to hide it behind this giant blackboard – it wouldn't fit anywhere else.

He took a few more steps back, as the strange object came to a halt before the open blackboard.  
Curiously he came closer to examine it – though as high as the ceiling, it was certainly thin and he caught a glimpse of gold under the blanket.

"Well, Dumbledore – this is it." boomed Professor Max happily, waving his wand.

The giant blanket vanished in an instant revealing…

"A mirror?" he breathed, looking it up and down.

It was certainly a magnificent looking mirror - high, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed legs.  
However… he could not feel a little… disappointed.  
For all the secrecy, all of Max' excitement… he expected something… _more_.

"Yes indeed – a mirror. But this, Dumbledore… is not just ANY mirror. Take a look."

Doing as he was instructed, Albus stood infront of the mirror.

The moment he looked into it, he almost jumped back in shock.  
He saw himself, yes, but… it did not look like him at all – at least not the way he was NOW!

"B-but _how_…?" he found himself breathing, staring into the mirror in a mixture of shock and awe.

"Tell me – what do you see?" asked Max from somewhere near him, but he barely noticed him – the image in the mirror being extremely entrancing.

"M-me… but… I'm… I look older. And well… _good_…"

It was true – his reflection… he had to be at least 17 there… or maybe a bit older… looking tall, fit, in impressive robes, a happy smile on his face and there was something else there too – an air of someone, who could do and achieve ANYTHING, anything at all…

"And I'm not alone… I'm with… everyone." he breathed, although he was finding the task of describing what he saw all the more difficult.

Standing beside, around and behind him were other people – a great many of them too.  
Though they too looked older, he recognised the faces of his friends: Johnatan, Licie, Aristotle, Elphias, Alisdair, Cassimus and Violet Slughorn, Mr and Mrs Potter, Johnatan's siblings, other faces he'd come to know at the Potter Wedding…  
He also saw his teachers: Professor Max himself, along with Rutherford, Black… even Flint.  
And right beside him – his family: Mother, Father, Ariana and Aberforth…  
All were looking at him with a mixture of happiness, pride and awe – as though he was the greatest thing to ever bless their lives.

"Oh… is that so…?" came Max´s curious voice beside him, and he almost jumped anew – he hadn't even realised, that the Professor was standing **right next to him!**

"Er... can't you see yourself there, Professor?" he asked confusedly, pointing for good measure to the place where Max's reflection was standing.

He immediately noticed, that though he was pointing, his own older reflection _wasn't _\- it was merely standing there, smiling back at him.

Max shook his head, his eyes watching the mirror with a kind of strange hunger.

"Oh, I _can _see myself, lad... only... I am standing alone. In the most magnificent library I have ever seen - so many books, so much knowledge..."

Albus looked at Max for a bit, then returned his gaze to the mirror, seeing only what he'd seen there before.

Both sparing the reflections a few more moment, each watching their reflections with hungry awe, they stood perfectly still beside eachother.

"Professor..." he breathed, finally finding his voice.

"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

Max turned his head and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Perhaps, Dumbledore... oh, Merlin... I _wish _so..."

Turning to him fully, Albus could see a flicker of unease on Max's face.

"But my friend said, that he'd seen something very different in it - himself young again and with his family. So it can also show _the past _as well... I cannot be sure. Although... the inscription at the top may be a hint."

Albus looked at him with mild shock and instantly looked upward - he hadn't even seen any inscription before. But no... it was there.

"_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._" he muttered, reading it aloud.

Max nodded, fixing his eyes on the inscription as well.

"I've tried deciphering it all this time. But its not in any language, that I know of..."

Albus fixed the inscription another look and narrowed his eyes at it.

"And could it not be...?" he started to ask, but Max instantly shook his head, knowing what he thought.

"I know, that you have just started your Ancient Runes this year... but no, Dumbledore - whatever that inscription is, it is definitely NOT Ancient Runes."

Albus nodded, already feeling a challenge.

"I shall copy those words onto a parchment, and try to come up with some way to decipher them." he promised, feeling more and more curious.

Max gave him one of his brightest smiles.

"I knew you'd say something like that. Very well... as long as you keep it a secret, and as long it doesn't effect your studies - you will be most welcome to assist me in unraveling this little mystery."

...

"Albus! ALBUS!"

Johnatan's voice snapped him out of his trail of thoughts, making him jump a little in the process.

"_Finally._" said Licie Abbott, giggling a bit.

"Wasn't easy finding you, mate." Johnatan added, clapping him on the shoulder and wearing a happy smile.

He quickly looked around, almost in panic.

For the past two days, he kept retreating to the old Charms classroom in order to work in privacy, and above all, in secret.

Well... to be honest... there was one more reason...  
As much as he researched the inscription on the Mirror of Erised, he could not help, but bring it out its secret hiding place a few times... just to have another look at the marvelous reflection it presented.  
Seeing his two friends, and remembering the promise he'd made, he was instantly glad that he remembered to hide the Mirror of Erised back into its hiding place.

"So... what are you working on, Al? It has to be something incredible for you to be so secretive about it." noted Licie, grinning at him and sitting on the old seat, right beside him.

Before he was even able to answer, Johnatan started to examine the various books, he'd borrowed from the library.

"Wow... _Bewildering Words and Babbling Wizards who use them_... _Words few Wizards understand_... _Ancient and Mysterious Languages_... what are you translating, mate?"

He blushed a little under his friends' bright and curious looks and shook his head.

"Just a little side-project. I'm trying to decipher this inscription. However... its turning out to be quite the challenge..." he answered, grinning sheepishly.

Johnatan moved closer to Licie, who took the piece of parchment with the inscription and examined it over her shoulder curiously.

"Well... it certainly looks bewildering. I've never seen anything similar..."

Licie giggled at Johnatan's remark... or perhaps more likely, at the smart way Johnatan was trying to sound.

"I _have _actually."

"WHAT?" exclaimed Johnatan, looking at her wildly.

"Where?" asked Albus, completely bewildered.

Licie giggled again, and fixed both of them a playful look.

"Just kidding. Although... it _does _remind me of the "_secret messages_" my little brother and his Muggle friends are always exchanging in Godric´s Hollow."

"What secret messages?" asked Johnatan, still pouting a bit at her.

Licie shook her head, smirking a bit.

"Its a bit silly, really... Albert and his friends are a little obsessed with them, and they believe that their "_mirror code_" as they call it, is unsolvable."

Albus could feel his jaw dropping.

"M-Mirror code?" he whispered, already making a reference.

"Yes. Its a fairly simple Muggle trick you know. All you need to do, is to read... or write backwards - as though in a mirror." she explained brightly, pointing to the parchment.

"Look at the first word - erised... but reading it backwards, it spells..."

"_Desire_..."Albus found himself breathing - now at last seeing sense.

Reaching for his quill, he quickly started to rewrite the inscriprion, right underneath the original one... from right to left - as though in a mirror.

He immediately knew, it was right.

"Eh...? Ishow... no... tyo... urfac... ebu... tyo... urhe... arts... desire? Except for the last word, it doesn´t make much sense..." said Johnatan, looking at the parchment in bewilderment.

Licie dissolved into giggles instantly.

"Oh, Johnatan – you're really quite new in this aren´t you? It spells..."

"_I show not your face, but your heart's desire..._" Albus muttered, already seeing the solution to the mystery and unable to feel a little... _let down_.

It made perfect sense - every single thing he knew about the mirror - he now knew EXACTLY, what the mirror was about. And he was almost ashamed of the two days he'd spent thorougly researching this mystery... and... he would never admit to anyone... almost desperate to find a way, he could use the mysterious inscriprion to bring the reflection it showed into reality.

"Correct. See, Johnatan? Its THAT simple." said Licie happily.

"Well... never mind _that_..." muttered Johnatan, going quite red in the face and looking bemused for some reason.

Clearing his throat, he turned to Albus.

"Actually... I was looking for you, Al. My Dad dropped by - says he wants to talk to you... about _you-know-what_..."

"Really...?" Albus breathed and felt a strong urge to slap his forehead - in all the hassle about the Mirror of Erised... he'd almost _forgotten_.

"He's waiting for us in the Entrance Hall." added Johnatan, ushering him from his chair.  
Nodding, Albus closed the book he had open on the school desk and rose.

Johnatan was already making his way to the classroom´s door.

"Johnatan, wait. I have to..." started Albus, but Licie took the book from his hand.

"Go, Al. This takes priority. I'll gather your belongings, and bring them along to the Fat Lady's portrait. _And _return all these books to the library on the way - since you obviously have no further need of them."

Shaking his head in awe, Albus once more fully appreciated that he had such friends.

Looking at Licie, who was already gathering his belongings into the schoolbag he'd brought along, he felt another pang of shame – he'd forgotten about _another _important thing...

"Licie, I... I never did thank you..." he said, determined to rectify that error.

Turning her head at him, she fixed him a look of polite puzzlement.

"What for?"

The reply almost made his jaw drop yet again.

"Well... if I'm not mistaken, it is not only Johnatan and Mr Potter I have to thank for... for helping me... for helping not just _me_... but..." he stuttered, unable to find the right words to express just how grateful he really was for this.

Licie instantly fixed him a radiant smile and rose from the seat as well.

"It was my pleasure, Al. What are friends for?"

She gave a gentle hug, not unlike the ones she gives him from time to time, but this time he couldn't help but return it, trying to put a lot of unsaid things into the gesture.

"_Ahem_... I don't mean to be heartless or anything, but we _do _need to get a move on, you know." came Johnatan´s voice from the classroom's door.

Separating, the pair of them shared a small laugh.

"Johnatan, my friend - you are anything _but _heartless." he said happily.

"Hear, hear." sing-songed Licie.

Snorting a bit, his cheeks coloring, Johnatan turned and opened the door.

"Right..." he muttered bemusedly, and though his back was already turned, both Licie and Albus could easily tell, that his blush must be intensifying.

Getting a gentle push from her, Albus made his way after him, and out of the classroom.

As they walked down the Grand Staircase, he couldn't help but ponder on the reflection, the Mirror of Erised showed him - _yet again_.

"_I show not your face, but your heart's desire, eh?_" he mused, as he kept on walking.

Certainly, he really wants to become such a wizard – one, who is looked up to and capable of solving any problem he comes across... just like Mr Potter.

"_Famous Justice Potter._"

He would definitely have liked that sort of fame – being recognised for his talent, actions and achievements. Being able to help others, guide them and protect them...

And, remembering all the others who were standing beside his reflected self... he'd realised that he dearly longed to have all his friends and loved ones always there with him, sharing his happiness, his triumphs and sometimes even challenges.

Afterall... if there was one thing Johnatan, Licie and Mr Potter made him realise, it was that not even he could accomplish everything by himself.

Reaching the Enterance Hall, he could already see two adults standing there.

Professor Black was standing there, in his usual attire. Standing next to him was Mr Potter, obviously dressed in his work-robes which looked very impressive indeed - very fitting for both a Top Six Noble Head _and _the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

As they came in closer, Albus and Johnatan were able to hear, that their Headmaster was very disgruntled indeed.

"... and I still cannot understand your need to come personally. Nor your refusal to disclose the very _reason _for doing so."

Mr Potter sighed, but folded his arms in a definitive way.

"As I explained, this is a matter strictly between me, and young Dumbledore. Rest assured, that this private matter does not concern your school."

Seeing the pair of them arrive, Professor Black scowled.

"Very well, Jacob... Let me just say, that were it not for your position - _both of them_, I would have rejected your request out of hand. Hogwarts is a school and while I am its Headmaster, I expect certain rules to be followed."

Mr Potter gave him a curt nod.

"I am perfectly aware of that, Phineas. Now... would you kindly show us to a place, where we could talk privately?"

Professor Black grunted again.

"The Trophy Room is vacant. I trust you will have no trouble locating it yourself." he grumbled, as he turned away from them and started to walk towards the Grand Staircase.

Johnatan went along with the pair of them, but as soon as they reached the Trophy Room, he stopped in his tracks.

"Well... I'll just see you back in our Dormitory, Al." he said pleasantly, turning on his heel.

"Johnatan, wait."said Mr Potter unexpectadly.

Both Johnatan and Albus looked at him, seeing an earnest look on his face.

"Perhaps you'd better stay..."

Looking at eachother puzzledly, both boys followed him into the magnificent room, filled with trophies and awards of almost every sort.

Closing the door with a wave of his wand, Mr Potter started to wave it around, casting spells to ensure their privacy no doubt.  
Both boys took the time and looked around, marveling at the numerous trophies.  
Albus couldn't help but grin at his friend, who scowled at the trophy awarded to none other than his older brother Alex.

He was about to say something, when they heared a small "_Pop_" and a small, squeaky voice.

"Apricie."nexclaimed Johnatan happily, immediately moving to the small house-elf, who had just appeared, and gingerly levitated three bottles of Butterbeer onto the small table, that definitely wasn't there a moment ago.  
Nor were the three comfortable chairs, placed around the table.

Mr Potter conjured three glasses on to the table with a casual wave of his wand, and smiled a little, seeing Johnatan come closer and exchange a warm hug with the little elf (a gesture that was very much returned), before clearing his throat.

"Thank you very much, Apricie. That will be all." he said firmly, but not unkindly.

With a nod at her master, and a small wave to her young master, the little House-elf bowed and disappeared with another "_Pop_".

"Lucky Professor Black didn't see that one, Dad. I have a feeling, that this would be breaking too many rules for one day." said Johnatan with a note of humour - since it was common knowledge, that Professor Black had firm rules against the family House-elves appearing and disappearing at Hogwarts on orders from their Noble masters.

Mr Potter however didn't laugh, nor smile. His face was now sporting a most serious, even grave look.

"Sit down, lads." he instructed, gesturing to the two chairs.

Sitting down as well, he waved his wand yet again, making the bottles fly towards the glasses and fill them up.

Both Albus and Johnatan grabbed their glasses eagerly, really liking the drink.

"Well... cheers." said Johnatan brightly, making a toast.

Mr Potter however did not repeat the gesture, he merely kept his eyes on Albus as he drank.

"Well, Albus... I take it, you know why I had come personally." he started, instantly looking a little uneasy.

Albus nodded brightly.

Taking a small breath, Mr Potter fixed him with a serious look.

"First of all... I want to assure you, that anything and everything that was in my power has been done."

Johnatan was looking at his father proudly, and looked as unable to keep the smile off his face as Albus.

"Today is the day, right?" asked Albus happily.

The question made Mr Potter´s face turn even more grave than before.

"Today was _supposed _to be the day..."

Both boys looked at him in confusion, the smiles sliding off their faces in an instant.

"S-supposed to be...?" breathed Albus.

Mr Potter gave a deep, long sigh and fixed him a sad look.

"Your father's release was a matter, that required me to carefully approach some of the high-ranking individuals, I know and trust. Without disclosing everything, this required some time. I managed to secure his release under strict conditions, and he was to be released today. But... it was too late."

Albus went numb.  
He was breathing hard, unable to say a word, or to look away from Mr Potter's solemn face, dreading the words, he knew would come in a few seconds.

"Percival Dumbledore died yesterday, shortly before midnight. Severe despair and malnutrition – he'd lost the will to live." said Mr Potter sadly, bowing his head.

It was a good thing, Albus was sitting, because he suddenly could not feel his legs.  
Could not feel _**anything...!**_  
Shocked beyond words or reason, he slowly shook his head a few times - his mind positively rebelling against the information.

"_No_..." he could hear himself breathing, but it was almost as if another person had uttered the word.

"Al..." breathed Johnatan, looking between his friend and his father.

"I am so sorry, Albus. I have tried everything I could." said Mr Potter in a quiet, sincere voice.

Locking eyes with him for a moment, Albus could somehow tell, that the man was telling the truth.

Standing up, Mr Potter approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I wish you weren't so young to learn this lesson... but, you see Albus... sometimes... sometimes, despite _everything _you do... everything you _try _to do... everything you CAN do... sometimes... its just not enough..."

Breathing hard, and bowing his head for a moment, he remembered his father's face in the reflection of the Mirror of Erised.  
Standing there, alive, healthy, happy... smiling proudly at him...

He'd suddenly realised - as he felt the first tears fall - how different the mirror's reflection from reality really was.

...


End file.
